Death as a blessing
by motherhen3518
Summary: Sookie sends Eric away when things change drasticly in her life and she comes to realize things arn't always what they seem
1. Chapter 1

Death as a Blessing

Fond Memories

Sookie over her kitchen sink staring out the window as she washed the dinner dishes, the task called for little of her attention now that her life had become so routine.

She remembered the days when everything was an adventure not that she missed the danger that was in her life but her freedom to only have to worry about herself, she had never thought she would have children or a husband and back then the idea of it all was just too complicated.

Now her life was so different boring even she had cut the vampires and other supernatural beings out of her life the night of the accident, they claimed it was just a hit and run that killed Tara but Sookie always felt there was more to it.

It was almost a year ago today when she got the news, she was lying in bed with Eric enjoying the afterglow of their love making when the phone rang, she thought it was odd that anyone would call the home phone knowing she was usually out this time of night and almost didn't answer it but something in her gut told her she needed to get.

So she made her way into the kitchen and picked up the phone that still hung on the wall above the stool where her gran wood chat on Sunday's she hadn't even said hello when Sam started to scream into the phone

"Sookie Tara's been in an accident it bad were at the hospital in Shreveport" Sookie screamed out in horror as Eric entered the room, he stared at her waiting for directions on what to do.

Sookie ran into the bedroom throwing on the first thing she could find which ended up being Eric's t shirt and the mini skirt she was wearing earlier tonight before she turned to Eric "get me to Shreveport now" and without hesitation he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaped into the sky.

She arrived at the hospital in record time but knew she was to late when she walked into the lobby to find Sam in hysterics, Sam and Tara had only been together for a short period of time but they had decided to give things an honest try when she found out she was not only pregnant but with twin girls.

Sam was screaming at a doctor when he noticed Sookie and Eric standing beside him he immediately fell into her arms sobbing uncontrollable , she was about to ask him where the girls were when she looked over her should and saw Eric carrying the pair in his arms .

She found it odd that he thought to do that it was such a human response but he walked toward her and whispered "were are gonna go get some candy" before heading off to the vending machines giving Sam time to compose himself.

Sookie knew she was in shock when she realized she hadn't even asked him what happened yet "Sam how did this happen" she remember when she would look at Sam he always seemed like a man in control a one step ahead kind of guy but now he just looked beaten.

Sam walked over to the chairs where the girls had been, he knew Sookie would follow him and he waited for both of them to be sitting before he started talking,

"Tara was driving home from the bar she had decided she would go in today instead of me so I could give her break from the girls" he chuckled as he remembered her smile and attitude when she made the comment and continued

"she had called me earlier tonight something about some new vamps popped into the bar causing problems but she said she handled it in true Tara fashion" this time it was Sookie's turn to smile as she remembered Tara's take no shit attitude all through her life.

Sam waited for sookie to have her moment before he started again "they police said she was driving home and someone hit her car and took off they pronounced her dead on the scene and they said they will need dental records to identify her"

Sams voice broke and he lost it as he finished the last sentence and sookie decided not to ask him anymore questions when she noticed Eric approaching with the girls. Sam and Tara had two beautiful girls Sara and Samantha,

they both looked just like there mama and thankfully looks was no it the only thing they didn't get from their daddy Sam seemed relieved when he told me that they would never be shifters he reassured me it was only the first born son.

Tara was a good mom she doted on her girls and often spoiled them too much they were three when she died and it had always bothered sookie that they wouldn't have memories of Tara so when Sam had asked her to help him raise them she thought it only right she played a major role in their lives, it was her who knew Tara most and she could give then some of her memories to keep with them.

Sookie stood and took Sara from Eric giving her a squeeze "aunt Sookie mama's dead" she stared into the three year olds eyes trying to find the right words but hugged her again instead.

"We should go home now Sam the girls should be in bed" Sookie said to the top of Sams head, he looked up slowly and Sookie knew what was coming,

"umm Sook can you take the girls with you tonight I'm uh gonna stay here for a while" she could tell he was lying but didn't have the heart to call him on his shit just then, instead she hugged him before her and Eric headed home with the girls.

They took a cab home which was a plus because it put the girls to sleep which meant Sookie wouldn't have to answer questions tonight, once they were home she and Eric put both the girls in the bed she had shared with Tara her best friend so many times throughout her childhood.

It wasn't until she close the door on the sleeping girls that Sookie realized her best friend was gone, night just for the night but forever, she wouldn't show up on the morning with coffee and donuts like she did when Sookie babysat she would never show up anywhere again.

When Sookie finished her thought her legs went out from underneath her, Eric caught her before she hit the floor and he carried her outside where they sat on the back porch and he held her while she wept for the loss of her friend.

Sookie sat in Eric's lap with her face nestled in his neck as she cried, he had been a true hero tonight like he always was ready to swoop in at the first sign of danger, tonight it was mostly emotional danger but it was usually real danger and even though he caused a lot of it he did his best to get me out of it.

Suddenly Sookie jumped up from Eric's lap "you have to leave now I can't put the girls in any danger"

Eric raised his hands waving them back and forth like it would change her mind "Sookie I would never hurt a child I love Kids".

His words meant nothing they just made her more tense "that's my point Eric you would never hurt, me you love me and still I have ended up in danger even close to dying so many time just by knowing you and Bill I won't do that to these girls"

Eric stood up from the porch the look on his face was one Sookie had never really seen before and when he flew away she knew he thought was she said was true.

The months that followed were hard and confusing for Sookie, she missed Eric every minute of the night but she knew why she was doing this and it was the right thing to do for Sara and Samantha. Sam and the girls moved in with Sookie a few weeks after Tara's death, it seemed like a good idea at the time and it allowed Sookie to stay home with the girls.

And just two months later Sam asked her to marry him he said it was so she could adopt the girls legally but she wondered if he had another motive "Sam you have been trying to sleep with me for years if this is just another attempt to get in my pants forget it" he looked slightly guilty before he assured her this was about the girls "I want them with you if anything happens to me, I don't have any family and you know Tara's people"

Sookie agreed and they went to a little chapel and said I do before he went into work the next day, it took about three months after that and the girls were adopted.

It was hard adjusting to her new life she was so use to being independent and now she relied on Sam to pay the bills and take care of her and the girls, it was a Friday afternoon about seven months after Sam and the twins moved and Sookie was home alone for the first time since,

She heard a knock at the door as she was about to step into a warm bath, she slipped on her robe and went to the door when she opened it there was no one there just a dozen red roses with a card attached

'Lover I miss you more than I can stand I want to see you now'

E.

Sookie bent down picking up the roses and headed to the kitchen she placed them on the table slipping the card out and hiding it in her bedside drawer before heading back to her bath she couldn't help but think about him it had been so long since she had been touched by him and she needed it.

She sunk down into the tub letting her hands caress the water over her skin, she was enjoying the sensation of the water when I voice came from behind her "I can do that for you" Sookie felt a surge of heat between her thighs and couldn't help herself, she jumped from the tub wrapping her naked body around his.

"Eric" she covered his face in kisses as he carried her to the bedroom "oh Eric I missed you" he didn't say a word he lowered her onto the bed before grabbing her ankles and putting her legs over his shoulders, she giggled with pleasure as he ran his tongue down her thigh until her found her soft wet mound, Eric spent the next hour licking and probing her with his skilled tongue and fingers causing her to orgasm over and over.

When she couldn't take it anymore she pulled her legs away from him and climbed off the bed to her knees Sookie had the image of his penis burned into her memory, she had touched herself to it many times over the last several months but somehow it looked bigger.

She studied his hardness with her hand caressing the sensitive skin around the head before placing it in her mouth, Eric moaned and threw his head back grabbing a hand full of her hair and guiding himself into her throat, she was afraid she might not be able to handle all of him but after a few seconds she took him like a pro.

The more Eric moaned the more she wanted to taste him, she quickened her pace and stroked with one hand while caressing his balls with the other she wanted swallow all of him and she did

Eric's body went stiff and his hand tightened in her hair as she felt the coolness of his semen fill her throat, she allowed him to fall from her mouth before licking him clean she couldn't help but smile as she looked up at him "I missed you"

He smiled back as he lifted her to her feet only to shove her back onto the bed, "I missed you more Lover"

He spread her legs again this time wrapping the around his waist lowering himself on top of her slowly sliding his hardness inside, she moaned at the feel of him filling her up exciting him more he thrust all of himself into her causing screams of ecstasy to poor from both of them.

After several hours of love making Sookie heard the front door open and close she knew her husband and kids were home but didn't have her wits about her yet, she started to sit up when Eric whispered "I locked it"

"you have to go Eric" she whispered as she ran her hand along her chest, his body stiffened under her touch and as soon as she looked at her hand she knew why.

"keep your voice down Eric" she pleaded with "I don't want the kids to know you're here"

"the kids or your husband" he bellowed "how could you marry him Sookie"

The words came out in a whisper and the guilt filled her heart. Eric didn't say another word he dressed in vampire speed and was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A Full Life

Sookie stood in her kitchen washing up their dinner dishes remembering how much her life had changed in the last year, it had now been four and a half months since she had seen Eric and it was taking its toll on her.

She tried calling him several times once she thought he had time to cool down but he refused to talk to her, she had only herself to blame she knew when she married Sam Eric would have reacted this way because she would have done the same.

She was finishing up the dishes when she heard the girls come in from outside, they had been waiting on the porch yet again for their father to come home and were disappointed when he didn't show.

Sookie was trying to ignore Sams drinking binges hoping it was just a phase, he had been doing so well with the girls until about four and a half months ago when he came home to mine and Eric's screaming match.

She knew when Sam asked her to marry him that he held some hope that we would one day fall in love and be together but that night she was too angry to stroke his ego. A few minutes after Eric left there was a knock at my door "Sookie can we talk"

She should have brushed him off until the morning but it was Sam and she had always been able to be straight forward with. She unlocked the door and opened it going about cleaning up her room, "yeah Sam what's up"

"How could you we are married, I am your husband, do you have no respect for me and in our home" she couldn't believe his reaction, he was actually playing the role of a jilted lover.

"Let's get something straight here Sam we are married but you are not my husband, we are not lovers and this is my home"

He stood staring at her like a wounded animal but she felt nothing for the man who use to be a good friend, Sookie threw her hands up in the air "good night Sam".

She walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her; she had only agreed to this situation to look out for Tara's girls, her girls, they were her life now.

Sookie stood staring at the two girls as they made their way into the house, she could see the sadness in there little faces, Samantha was tough like her mama she controlled her emotions but lashed out when it got to be too much, It was Sara she worried about the most, she wore her heart on her sleeve like her father.

She knew how to take their minds off of Sam's absence but she worried that it might not work much longer "hey girls want some ice cream" Sookie knew from her childhood that ice cream cured all, it was what her gran would do for her when she was having a hard day.

She couldn't help but be mad at Sam all over again his drinking was causing him to miss out on so much of the girl's lives; the last year had flown by and the girls would be starting school soon in a few months.

He would be gone for days with no explanation and show up bearing gifts for the girls, things would be ok for a week or so before it would start over again, each time the disappointment on their faces broke her heart a little more.

Sookie still had a large savings account thanks to the money she had made working for the vampires; it was a good thing because the bar was suffering now that Sam was disappearing more often. She had often thought about taking the kids and moving away somewhere but the thought of leaving Eric sickened her.

Once they were all in the car and Samantha reminded them to buckle up they headed into town for some ice cream, the girls got excited as they drove past Merlots, they begged for her to stop so they could see their Daddy but Sookie knew by the empty parking lot that this was one of those times he hadn't showed up.

She pulled into the parking lot allowing the girls to see the darkness of the bar making a lame excuse as to why he wasn't there and hoped the girls would accept it.

Their silence didn't stop her from knowing what the two little girls were thinking; Sookie listened in on the girl's thoughts Sara there was something wrong with daddy and Samantha wondered if daddy would leave forever this time.

Sookie had come to realize her telepathy was an advantage when it came to the girls, it was the first time in her life she was thankful for it. The girls often asked how she knew what they were thinking, she would tell them it was magic and the three of them would laugh.

While they were sitting in the ice cream shop when Jason walked in; the girls had grown to love Uncle Jason now that he had settled down, he married his high school sweet heart Clair a few months ago and was expecting his first child.

Sookie was glad to see her brother settle down, mostly because it meant she didn't have to worry about him being shot by someone's husband but also because he and Clair loved having the girls around, they even kept the girls a few times a month giving her some much needed Sookie time.

It was only a matter of minutes after Jason and Clair walked through the door that the girls started begging to spend the night with them, of course Clair gave in before Jason, Sookie laughed at his expression when Clair commented on Jason needing the practice.

They finished their ice cream and she kissed the girl's goodbye before heading home, Sookie always missed Eric more when she was alone, her heart hurt at the thought of him while other parts ached for him.

She scrolled through her cell phone until she reached Eric's number she thought about calling him again but decided to text him instead. "Hi" she hoped he would at least acknowledge her this time.

The hours went by slowly as she sat in her pajama's watching late night television, she had checked her phone at least fifty times since she had been home but Eric didn't reply.

It was after midnight when she tried texting him again. 'Hi Eric how are you, I'm fine all alone but fine, please answer me' she hesitated unsure if she would send the message when he her phone vibrated in her hand, 'Hi Mrs. Merlot'.

Sookie smiled at the smart ass reply Eric had sent when a knock at the door made her jump in her seat, immediately she though it was Sam he had a habit of losing his keys making the same stale joke about putting an alarm on his keys.

With the phone still in her hand she opened the door to see Eric, "its Mrs. Stackhouse thank you" she said smiling up at him. Eric laughed at her comment walking past her into the house; he took a seat on the sofa next to where she had been sitting.

Sookie walked into the kitchen grabbing a true blood out of the refrigerator and warmed it in the microwave before taking it to Eric, he hadn't asked for it but she was being polite hoping he would hear her out.

She handed him the and took the seat next to him, she felt her body react to his just being near her and he smiled letting her know he felt her reaction too. Eric's smile faded as his eyes fell to the floor "Explain" she didn't have to ask what he was talking about it had been the only thing on her mind for four and a half months.

"I should have told you I married Sam" he nodded and motioned with his hand for me to continue "But I only married him so I could adopt the girls" he motioned again for her to continue, the gesture leaving her feeling irritated it's not a conversation if only one person does the talking.

Sookie mimicked his hand gesture letting her irritation show "Eric what can I say to make you understand" in a swift motion he leaped from the sofa taking her hand and pulling me to him, His lips brushing along her collar bone.

She could feel his cool body pressing against his touch sending chills up her spine, she ached for him and he knew it there was no hiding her intentions were clear as she shoved him back onto the sofa. Eric stared up at her as she slowly took off her clothes he knew she was his and now he would have her prove it to him.

Her hands shook as she pulled at his jeans, his reaction wasn't what she expected Eric had always taken control when it came to sex and now he lay still watching her as she struggled with his belt. She started to wonder if he even wanted this and she considered just giving up and running to hide in her bedroom until dawn. When Eric realized his games was causing her to feel distressed he smiled and with a flash was naked and back on the sofa.

Sookie looked down to see that he was ready and willing, without hesitation she climbed onto his lap letting him feel the warmth and wetness he was causing, His lips found hers as she pressed her body onto his sliding her hand down his body taking him in her hand.

She playfully stroked him watching his reaction as she placed him between her thighs allowing him to slide deep inside, they moaned in unison and sookie had no doubts that Eric had missed her. His hands firmly on her hips lifting and slamming her back down onto him, the room filled with his animalistic groans and her screams of ecstasy.

Eric felt her body tense as her muscle throbbed around his member; he grabbed a fist full of her hair causing her back to arch he sank his fangs into her flesh intensifying both of their orgasms. Sookie collapsed onto him this was where she wanted to be "Eric I love you".

A smile spread across Eric's face he felt victorious he had wanted Sookie from the day he met and after everything she would be his, "Divorce Him". This was not the reply she had been looking for, she pushed herself off of him "thanks Eric".

Sookie stomped off into the bathroom to clean herself up, she turned on the shower and climbed in closing the glass doors behind her not wanting his company at this second. Eric followed behind her he knew she had more to say, he stood in the doorway watching her scrub at her hair and he could tell she was angry.

It was a familiar pattern in their relationship and he knew they would spend years pissing each other off; she was stalling washing her hair for the third time so he decided to go to her rather than stand there and watch her go bald.

He hadn't realized she was crying until he stepped into the shower, he took her face in his hands making her look into his eyes "humans" she laughed at how his face twisted when he said the word but her heart still felt heavy.

Eric had told her he loved her before and she knew other than Bill who lied to her vampires didn't go around spouting their love for each other, still she wanted her human moment with him. He stared at her still waiting for her response and he found himself becoming irritated at her silence.

Sookie turned to face him again "tell me you love me jerk"

"Divorce Him you human brat" he snapped back

"Fine" she sucked her teeth "vampire"

"I love you and I've always loved you" he shook his head "human"

I


	3. Chapter 3

Everything Was Good

Sookie awoke the next more feeling more like herself than she had in months, the night before was a huge step for her she had finally admitted to herself that she needed Eric in her life. They lay in bed talking about the girls until dawn; she was surprised at how Eric enjoyed hearing about the girl's day to day life.

After he went to rest for the day in the cubby Bill had built a few years ago, Sookie lay in bed picturing the four of them as a family and she fell asleep feeling happy with the choice she made.

Her dream was wonderful, well almost wonderful she saw her and the girls sitting at the dinner table waiting on Eric before starting dinner, they would watch movies and play games and the girls would be happy as sookie handled bath time and Eric told bedtime stories while tucking them in.

It was a perfect life but Sookie couldn't help but notice the dark shadow that loomed over her and the girls throughout her dream.

The phone rang as she poured her second cup of coffee; it was Jason letting her know the girls had decided to stay another night; she missed the girls when they were away but she knew they were having fun with Uncle Jason and Clair.

They loved to be outside Samantha would often help her in Grans garden while Sara being more of a tomboy would hunt for bugs and other wildlife. Sookie thanked Jason for keeping the girl's, she was surprised at how well he had taken to kids and thought he would be a wonderful father.

Sookie ending her call with Jason when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, she assumed it was Sam though she hadn't heard him come in this morning; he had taken the upstairs bedroom when he moved in but mostly he just passed out on the sofa.

Sookie had hoped he wouldn't come home especially while Eric was here, she poured him a cup of coffee and reached out with her mind to see what kind of mood he was in, only the buzz she felt in her brain was not familiar to her.

In walked a half-naked woman with almond skin and dark brown hair "Smells like vampire" the young woman reached out her hand "I'm Simone" Sookie stared at her for a moment in shock before taking her hand "Sookie Stackhouse".

She could tell by her thoughts that the woman was with Sam and instantly wanted to throw her out, they had never discussed Sam having company and she thought it tacky of him to sneak the woman in without asking how she felt about it first.

Simone grabbed the cup of coffee Sookie had poured for Sam taking a sip before adding a ridiculous amount of sugar, they both stood staring at each other waiting for Sam when Simone spoke "so who's the vamp from the couch".

Sookie felt instantly embarrassed, she never thought to check and see if anyone was in the house last night and her mind was so distracted with thought of Eric she never even noticed their presence. The look on her face must have mirrored her horror because Simone blurted out the answer to her thoughts "he didn't see I got here first and you guys were in the other room when we came in"

Relief came over Sookie she didn't want anyone seeing her and Eric have sex but she was more worried about Sam hearing Eric's demand for her to divorce him, she didn't want to deal with that while other people were in the house.

Sookie knew Sam would have a hard time accepting her and Eric being together and she feared he would try to take the girls away out of anger so she decided to handle the situation with kid gloves.

It was a little after ten when Sam came into the kitchen, Sookie and Simone sat at the table filling the time with idle conversation. She had learned that Simone was a school teacher and she and Sam have been seeing each other for over three months.

Anger built in Sookie's heart this was the reason he was missing out on his kids' lives and not to mention his absence from the bar. She looked up Him as he walked into the room "not opening the bar again today?" he didn't reply instead picking up Simone's cup taking a sip before placing a kiss on her cheek.

His ignoring her only pissed her off more; there was no reason for his childish behavior she was the one who had given up her whole life to help raise the girls not to mention almost losing the love of her life. Sookie stormed out of the kitchen she wanted to get out of the house and away from him but she didn't trust leaving Eric alone with them.

Sookie sat in her room listening to the two of them move around the kitchen, Sam's thoughts bounced from one to the next not focusing on any one thing, It was strange she had always known him to be very focused and now it seemed he was avoiding holding on to a single thought.

More upsetting to her was the fact that none of his thoughts were about the girl's, Simone on the other hand was more difficult to read she caught more images than thoughts and even they were fuzzy. Sookie knew the woman was a supernatural but not like anything she had encountered and she didn't want her around the girl's.

They left around noon and Sookie found herself wishing he would stay gone a few days so she could figure out how to deal with the situation. Her first step would be to file the papers; she had never been divorced or even known anyone who had, she was sure Eric would be glad to help with that.

Sookie felt anxious as she waited for Eric to wake up her stress level was at its peak, she needed to talk to someone and he was the only person who would understand her concerns. She was bothered by Sam's actions over the last few months and the fact that he was purposefully hiding his thoughts from her weighed heavy on her.

She sat in the kitchen staring at the sun still bright in the sky and she decided she would enjoy what was left for the day, putting on a bathing suit and grabbing a book she headed out to the yard she lounged in her favorite sun chair a luxury she had been missing since the girls came into her life.

The sun was warm on her skin as she lay back listening to the sounds of nature; Sookie woke to s cool hand caressing her neck she realized she had fallen asleep when she opened her eyes to Eric standing over her.

"Enjoying the view" she said playfully, he looked her up and down before leaning in to kiss her he was good at distracting her but she needed to tell him about her troubles with Sam.

"Eric Sam's up to something" the sound of his name made Eric's body stiffen "what now"

Sookie scooted up in her chair giving Eric room to sit between her legs; she was easily distracted again at the feel of his body so close to hers. "So what now he wants you have a brother for the girls" she knew he was joking but the comment stung a little more than she liked.

"NO" she said shoving him forward a little "did you know he was here last night?"

"Yeah with the were tiger that was watching us" Sookie was annoyed at his response

"Don't you think you should have told me?" She tried to stay calm but the fact that he knew they were there made her think maybe there was a plot behind him asking her to divorce Sam.

"Sookie why does it matter he was with the were" "How can you say it doesn't matter we were having sex and she watched us" her voice came out higher and less firm than she wanted.

Eric shifted in the chair turning around to face her placing his hands on both side of her face "you are mine and I am yours why does it matter who sees us"

She couldn't help but melt as he spoke, she knew they had come so far and she couldn't see fighting over something so small. She leaned forward pressing her lips against his letting her hands wander down his chest she started stroking his partially hard member when his cell phone rang.

Eric groaned kissing her again before flipping his phone open "Northman" she couldn't hear the conversation on the other end but Eric's expression told her it wasn't good news. "Tell them I'll be there shortly" Sookie knew this meant he was leaving and her plan to alleviate some of her stress was dead.

Flipping his phone shut she turned to see her pouting; "a vampire from area seven has disappeared while in my area I have to go" she nodded in response to his statement but he knew she was still unhappy about him leaving.

Sookie stood from the sun chair and kissed him before walking back into the empty house, she hated being alone so much of her life was spent that way and now that she knew what she wanted it felt like everything was working against her.

Eric watched as she made her way inside before he flew away, he could feel the tension coming from her earlier today when he was resting, he knew she hadn't gotten everything off of her chest and felt guilty leaving her to deal with it all herself.

She knew she was acting like a child storming off every time things didn't go her way but the fear of having Eric was almost a bad as the fear of not having him. Sookie showered and threw on her frumpy pajama's settling on the couch with her favorite book in her hand, She felt drained and alone her only plan was to do nothing until she picked the girls up tomorrow and she hated it.

Sookie dreamt of Eric, her and the girls catching fire flies in the back yard they were happy and laughing, she couldn't help but notice the dark cloud that hovered over them again it followed them as they moved around the yard.

She watched it darken as Eric approached Sara lifting her onto his shoulders and with the blink of an eye three of them disappeared and she stood in the yard alone.

Her cell phone buzzed waking her up, she was glad to leave her dream that had turned into a nightmare. The phone buzzed a second time before she reached for it 'I have the girls were coming home' Sookie had to look at the number twice not believing her eyes the first time the message was from Eric.

She felt mixed emotions about the message, she was angry at him for taking it upon himself to pick the girls up and at the same time her heart warmed at the thought of them together as a family.

A few minutes later Eric's car pulled into the driveway instantly she was relieved that he thought to drive rather than fly. He jumped from the car smiling at her as he opened the door for the girls, she knelt holding her arms out for them as they ran to her and she was reminded of how much she loved them.

Eric watched Sookie as she held the girls in her arms, he knew why she loved them so much and he hoped one day he could give her the life she deserved.

Until then he would do anything to protect them.

I


	4. Chapter 4

Sookie and the girls picked out a movie while Eric popped popcorn, this had been their Friday night routine for weeks now and sookie loved it. The four of them curled up on the sofa to watch Cinderella laughing while Eric sang along with the cartoon mice.

Eric was great with the girls and at times Sookie would forget that the man in front of her was a ruthless vampire; her world was full of Barbie's and board games not his usual nightly routine. Still he was spending more and more time around the house these days helping with the girls and the day to day.

He stayed every night sleeping in the cubby in the girls bedroom closet, he would leave just after sunset for no more than an hour or two and be home in time for dinner. It was a nice change from Eric's old schedule, she flashed back to herself sitting in a booth at Fangtasia waiting for Eric to join her.

The situation left Sookie wondering what had changed in the vampire world giving Eric so much free time, they were standing in the kitchen preparing dinner when she asked him how he was spending so much time with them considering his sheriff duties.

He shrugged his shoulders "Vampire vacation" she stared him down irritated with his fake answer when the girls ran into the room distracting them both.

She decided to let things go for now not wanting to make him feel unwelcome, her fears of Eric being in the girls lives had never fully faded and now when he seemed to be hiding something from her it only made it harder to press them to the back of her mind.

The movie ended and sookie cleaned up the loose pieces of popcorn while Eric carried the girls to bed, she was turning the lights out through the house when she heard Sam's keys in the door.

Things had been tense between them since he found their divorce papers, Sookie thought she had hidden them but when Sam returned home looking for an old cell phone that belonged to Tara he found them in the back of the junk drawer in the kitchen.

Sam walked into her bedroom throwing the papers onto her bed "was this his idea" Sookie knew meant Eric.

She had prepared herself to sit down latter in the week and have a long talk about everything before giving him the papers, now she would just have to wing it thankfully the girls were off fishing with Jason because this would be bad.

"Nope it was my idea" she tried to stay calm but his thoughts were a clear attack on Eric, she could see images of him staking Eric flash through his head. "Bullshit Sookie we were fine before him" He stormed out of the room and she followed.

"Sam we were only married so I could adopt the girls" she tried to sound sincere "this was never going to be forever".

His face twitched and she could see the hurt in his eyes "we could have been a family, we could have had a good marriage maybe even had more kids" he rambled on and on about what they could have been, and Sookie felt sorry for him for about two seconds.

Sam's eyes locked on the bite mark that was healing on her neck and his demeanor changed quickly "I should have opened that fucking cubby the first time he stayed and watched his ass burn and we could have been together" her jaw dropped and a pain shot through her at the thought of Eric burning.

Sookie's fist flew up connecting with his face "What fucking we are you referring to the we who kept drinking and not coming home" she made a mock face of someone thinking "oh no that was you".

She threw her hands up "Or the we that was here raising two girls and making excuses for why daddy's never around". "Oops wrong again that was me"

"You're not my we Sam, your just you and you have a month to find another place to live"

Sam didn't say anything so she searched his mind for his reply but she found nothing, not that he wasn't thinking of anything but again he was thinking of everything at once. She continued looking through his head and finding nothing coherent just bits and pieces of phrase and words, no one had ever been able to hide from her mentally and now Sam had done it twice.

Sookie stormed off back into her bedroom closing the door behind her, she couldn't understand how or why Sam would keep his thoughts from her. Since then whenever Sam would come home they only spoke about the girls and Sookie was carful never to leave Eric sleeping in the house alone.

Sam walked into the house sniffing the air as he came in and without a word he made his way upstairs to his room, Sookie could smell the alcohol pouring off of him when he walked past her, she figured to was best to just wait until morning before interacting.

There was a lot to talk about with the girls starting school Monday and it had almost been a month since she told him to move out. When the popcorn was cleaned up sookie headed toward her bedroom, she walked through the door to find Eric lying naked across the bed. One of the perks of him staying here has been the mind bending sex they had been having nightly.

A smile spread across Eric's face as she closed the door behind her, with a swoosh Eric had her pinned against the wall his hands clawing at her body in a desperate need to touch her. Sookie playfully fought back against his body knowing she would give in at any minute; he pressed her body into the wall kissing and nibbling at her neck.

Her defenses were weakening as the heat between her thighs grew stronger; when Eric sank to his knees lifting her dress over his head she knew all hope was lost. He traced the lace of her panties with his tongue teasing her licking the cloth that cover her swollen clit before ripping them off and throwing them to the floor.

He flipped his tongue in circles around her throbbing center before thrusting his fingers deep inside, her screams of ecstasy muffled by his hand she pulsed around his fingers as his mouth brought her to climax. Eric stood sucking her juices from his fingers before pushing her to the floor.

Eric was in charge with one hand stroking his already hard member and the other wrapped in Sookie's hair he shoved his length into her mouth. She licked and sucked as he worked in and out of her throat, Eric's size was nowhere near average but sookie enjoyed the challenge of pleasing him.

Sookie's hands found his ass digging her nails into the flesh of his cheeks, his body tensed as he let out a animalistic growl and he filled her mouth with his semen. He pulled her to her feet lifting her onto his still erect penis; Eric clamped his hands onto her hips sliding into her again and again.

Eric's speed quickened causing her moans to be broken and breathless as she climaxed around him again, slowing to kiss her as they made their way to the bed. He placed Sookie onto her knees messaging her ass as before sliding himself inside, his thrust slow and forceful pounding into her making her moan his name.

The hours passed with Eric buried deep inside of Sookie and dawn had come, with Sookie fully satisfied he made his way to the cubby in the girl's room. He should have went to rest before now but he found himself waiting until the sun was visible in the sky just to spend the extra time with her.

When Eric pulled the door open to the light tight cubby he noticed a familiar odor coming from inside, but the sun coming through the window in the girl's room told him it was too late to find another resting place.

The sun was full in the sky like any normal September day when Sookie woke to an annoying beeping sound coming from the hall. She moved quickly through the smoke heading straight for the girl's room, she opened the door screaming their names into the fire that filled the room.

Sookie stood looking into the fire that was consuming her family home as the firemen ran back and forth trying to douse the flames. She watched as the last of the men ran from the house empty handed again, she prayed the girls had heard the alarm and ran from the room but her prayers were ignored when the fire chief approached her.

There was no sign of the girls in or around any other part of the house; they would search the room for their bodies once the fire was under control. She heard the words but her body was numb her life was full and Happy just hour ago and in a blink of an eye she had lost everything.

Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground as she thought of Eric and the girls burning in the house. A familiar voice echoed her screams and she noticed Jason standing beside her, her instincts told her to comfort him but her body stayed where it was.

They loaded her into an ambulance and rushed me to the hospital, Sookie hadn't noticed the burns on her arms and legs until a small woman poured on the chemicals in an attempt to clean them. There were nurses running in and out of the room when everything went black.

Each time Sookie's eyes opened she hoped it was all a dream but the sight of Jason and Clair crying in the corner of the room told her it was real. She faded in and out of consciousness throughout the day each time feeling the pain of losing the ones she loved; she had failed to protect the people who were most important to her again.

Sookie shifted in bed as Andy walked into her room as a sheriff Andy was a standup guy but as a person he hated her, She knew it wasn't do to anything she did to him but his fear of her strangeness. He asked the same questions the firemen had asked her earlier, not that I had a lot of answers to give.

What was she supposed to say, she and her vampire boyfriend put her dead best friends kids to bed before having mind numbing sex for hours causing her to sleep through all of them burning to death. She knew if it were her investigating the case she would slap the cuffs on herself just for being so stupid.

Everyone had left for the evening, Andy telling her he'd be in touch and Eric offered her a place to stay before they left. A few minutes later a nurse walked into the room, she didn't pay much attention to her as she walked closer. The woman placed her hand on Sookie's wrist 'Simone said just stick her with it and they'll think her heart just stopped' her thoughts came rushing into Sookie's head causing her to jump knocking the syringe from the woman's hand.

Sookie dove from her bed as the woman jumped after her, she ran for the door when she was caught by her hair and dragged backward through the room. The woman was a were and sookie was weak against her, the woman held her down with one hand reaching for the syringe with the other.

She fought against the woman's grip with everything in her as the she lowered the needle to Sookie's arm piercing the skin, the woman was about to fill her body with the poison and sookie wondered why she was fighting. She had lost everything she loved and now she could be free of the pain, she was ready to give up.

The door flew Open and she heard a loud pop as the woman fell limp beside her, he reached down yanking the needle from Sookie's flesh throwing it to the floor before gathering her into his arm. He kissed her lightly as she stared at him in shock, He opened the window and they leaped into the air. "Eric?"

I


	5. Chapter 5

Eric noticed a familiar smell as he climbed into the light tight hole in the girl's bedroom, he had waited to close to dawn already and the beginning rays of sun were starting to shine through the window. He didn't need a flashlight to see inside the whole one of the bonuses of being a vampire; he could see where the dirt had been disturbed as he crawled to the far corner of the dirt hole.

He started shuffling the dirt around until he found what he was looking for; the man's body was rotting it was clear he had been dead for several days. Eric knew he would have noticed the body had been there the day before the smell of death is something you can't miss, the body had to have been put here tonight.

The man was a shifter and he had Sam's scent all over him, Eric was searching the body for clues as to who he was or where he was from when he heard the sound of Sam's voice.

"Girls wake up , come with daddy" Samantha protested her cries for Sookie muffled by Sam's hand, it was Sara who questioned Sam's intention's and Eric hoped he would share some information about where he was taking them but Sam was quiet as he grabbed the two girls and carried them from the house.

It had been at least two hours since sunrise and Eric was suffering from bleeds as he found it impossible to rest with the girl's safety in question, he lay there feeling angry with himself for not letting sookie in on his suspicions of Sam. The vampire who had disappeared weeks ago had been linked to Tara's death, making it look like an accident was something vampires learned soon after they were turned.

Somehow Sam had learned the truth, Eric knew why he hadn't shared the information with Sookie she would have banished him from her life. She already feared his presence in the girl's lives but knowing Tara was killed by a vampire would be the end of Eric and Sookie.

Still he wondered why Sam didn't take the opportunity to be rid of him by telling Sookie the truth, Eric was pulled from his thoughts by a sloshing above him. The smell of gasoline filled the air. Eric clawed his way through the dirt tunneling through until he was under Sookie's room, he waited but the footsteps never came.

The next sound Eric heard was the smoke alarm sounding from the hallway, he felt Sookie stir and as she realized the sound she heard her panic filled the bond between them. He heard her footsteps heading toward the girls room as he fought the urge to jump from the ground but he knew he would be no good to her if he faced the sun.

Sirens approached the house as sookie stood screaming for Eric and the girls, her pain flooded the bond between them as she was pulled from the house. Sookie was always strong and if she feared anything she rarely let it show but Eric could hear in the sound of her voice that she feared living without him and the girls.

Once the flames were contained by the firefighters and Eric knew Sookie was safely outside he flipped his phone open calling the only person he could trust in a time like this. He hoped Pam would answer, she could feel his emotions more than most progeny's because they had stayed so close throughout the years. So when she answered the phone on the first ring Eric knew she had been experiencing everything he had this morning.

"What the fuck Eric" "Pam I don't have time to explain just call Herveaux and his people tell them to meet me at dusk at Fangtasia" there was a long pause and Eric became irritated at the thought of her not listening.

"Pam" "Yes Eric I got it anything else"

"yes send someone to get Sookie some clothes personal items she will need to freshen up" Eric snapped the phone shut confident Pam would handle things, He decided to try Sookie's cell phone in hopes that she may have grabbed it in a panic.

The call went straight to voicemail and Eric lay listening to the girl's voices as they told him to leave a message, he lay thinking of the night before when they sat happily on the sofa watching the girls favorite movie, then he thought of ripping Sam's head from his body so that sookie and the girls could find happiness again.

The sounds of men working above his head putting out the last of the small fires filled his time, he could hear Jason talking to Sookie in the front yard and he was grateful for someone to be able to comfort her. After Sookie was taken away in the ambulance and most of the firemen had left the scene Eric thought of going to rest for the day.

He had started to let the day take him when a thud pulled his eyes open something had been pushed through the floor and a stream of sunlight poured through burning his face. Eric held back his screams moving further into the corner when another thud and another stream of light, Eric clawed at the ground pushing himself into the hole and he covered the length of his body with the loose dirt.

It was a matter of seconds when the day pulled him into rest, he was safe from the men and the sun that moved above him but the thought of Sookie and the girls had left him feeling tense. Eric woke up when the last of the sun was setting; he listened carefully for any movement in the house above him.

Once Eric was sure the house was empty he pushed his way through the dirt and wood that had been Sookie's bedroom floor, he stood taking in the damage around him, Eric imagined Sookie's face when she saw what was left of her childhood home but he knew none of it would matter if they didn't find the girl's.

There were a few things Eric needed to do before going to Sookie, he was glad for the distraction the thought of explaining everything to her made the thousand year old vampire nervous.

He pulled out his phone dialing Pam's number making sure the pack was already at Fangtasia waiting for him, with that done he rummaged through Sookie's room finding a few pieces of wearable clothes. He intended on waking to a shower before spending time with Sookie and the girl's but now he would have to make do.

Eric hated Bill for the many reasons but he knew he would be a helpful in this situation Bill was king after all and Eric would need his position behind him to clean up this mess. Bill sat silent and listened as Eric ran through what he had learned over the last couple of weeks, there was a long pause before bill spoke "Why didn't you come to me sooner Eric" Bills was clearly annoyed with him.

"As sheriff I felt I need more information before bringing attention to things" Eric tried to sound sorry for his actions but his words came out more stiff then expected he hated asking Bill for help but he hated having to answer to Bill more.

The two men sat staring each other down; Eric knew Bill would ultimately help because helping him meant helping Sookie. Bill stood walking around the room "First things first find Sam and bring him here we need to know what he's up to" Eric rolled his eyes he was already a step ahead of Bill.

Eric had hoped to leave Sookie out of the meeting with the were's and he was half way to Shreveport when he felt her fear run through him. Eric jumped from his car a flew toward Sookie he was in a mad panic and he regretted not going to her sooner, he found that lately he had been making many bad decisions when it came to her and he hoped it would not hurt them in the long run.

He flashed through the hospital the screaming and crashing sounds told him which room was hers, when Eric walked into the room there was a strange brunet woman trying to plunge a syringe into Sookie's arm. There was no time to ask questions or find out what the woman knew he ran toward then grabbing the woman's neck and with a swift twisting motion she fell limp.

Sookie sat staring at him from the hospital floor he could tell she was in shock as he bent to kiss her, she didn't respond to his kiss and it was an odd feeling for him he looked at her for a moment before scooping her up into his arms and flying out the window.

"Eric?" was all she had said all the way to Fantasia; he kept himself from looking straight at her for fear of her asking any questions. As they walked into the bar Sookie seemed to have a little more of her wits about her, she greeted Alcide and sat between him and Eric in the booth.

Eric was still cautious not to look directly at her as he spoke "Herveaux any of your pack missing"

Eric was aware that since Alcide had taken over the pack some of them had defected to a nearby pack not agreeing with his no nonsense rules "no all accounted for why" "Sam has killed a were and hidden in the light tight cubby at her house" Eric blurted the words out hoping Sookie's reaction wouldn't be to strong but she sat looking at the table not saying a word.

Eric continued "there has also been a vampire reported missing that may have had ties with his children's mother" Sookie's head snapped up her eyes piercing into Eric. "Also a shifter woman made an attempt on Sookie's life tonight" he looked around Sookie to Alcide but he could tell he was in deep shit by the expression on her face and the anger that was seeping through their bond.

"So what do you need my pack to do?"

"We need your pack to hunt down Sam Merlot" Eric looked at Sookie before he finished "but don't attack he has Sookie's girl's"

Sookie's eyes welled up with tears and her body started to tremble, her hands clenched the edge of the table before she shoved it across the room. She stared back at Eric biting the side of cheek to keep her tears under control and stormed off into his office.

Eric could hear her throwing things around his office and cursing him and Sam but he knew it was best to let her work through this part alone. Alcide look from Eric to the office door with a smug smile on his face, he knew how sookie could be and it made him laugh at the thought of the tiny human scolding the big bad vampire.

Once the smashing stopped in the other room and Sookie returned to the table that had been flipped right side up Eric and Alcide finished their conversation. "Your pack should start from Sookie's that's where he took them" He stopped and looked around the room "no one is to be seen or attack when he is found you will call me I will not have the girls put in anymore danger" Eric looked at Alcide as he finished his sentence.

When all the terms were agreed to and payment was made the were's left for the hunt, Eric sat looking at his hands he could feel her anger through their bond but it was growing weaker by the minute. Sookie was the first to speak

"The girls are alive?" Eric wiped a tear from her cheek

"Yes he took them before the fire"

"Eric how could you not tell me" He reached for her and she shoved his hand away

"All this fuckin time you knew we were in danger and you never told me" she yelled as she stood and paced the floor.

"Sookie if I had told you what would you have done" he said looking at the ceiling

"I would have listened" "and then what"

"Probably killed Sam" "and then what"

"Not lost everything in a fire" "god damn it sookie you would have sent me away again"

Sookie stopped pacing and stared down at Eric she knew what he was saying was true, what she didn't know was how much it had hurt him. He stood taking her hand and pulling her against him, he had kept things from her to protect their relationship but he stayed close to protect their lives.

"I can't believe Sam tried to kill me" she whispered into his chest

"He didn't" he said to the top of her head "what?"

"Sam didn't set the fire it was a human" "who"

"I'm not sure but I intend to find out" he held her tighter caressing her hair.

Sookie tried to think of who would want to kill her if not Sam she had never done anything to harm anyone and the girls sure hadn't deserved to die, she thought of the girls alive and a smile came to her face she would see them again and soon and that was all that mattered right now.

She lifted her head to look into his eyes "so what now?" he kissed her softly "we wait".


	6. Chapter 6

There were many things Sookie was blessed with in her life but patience was not one. It was a Saturday night and Fangtasia was packed with its usual crowed of wannabe's and fang bangers, Sookie sat in Eric's usual booth looking out at the crowed but not seeing anyone in particular. Her mind was distracted with thoughts of the girls.

She hoped they were safe with Sam and she wondered if they had eaten, Sam had never been a hands on dad even when Tara was around he showed them love and affection but she had never seen him cook them a meal or play a game with them.

Her worry grew stronger with every passing minute and she wished Alcide and his pack would do there damn job. Eric had been staying busy across the bar bouncing in and out of his office pretending to be busy with the usual vampire business, he knew Sookie would be torturing herself with worry for the girls.

Sookie told herself over and over again that the girls would be alright Eric had said that Sam took the girls with him before the fire, knowing Sam hadn't set the fire was a good sign that he wouldn't hurt the girls. Sookie sat going over the details of the conversation Eric and Alcide had earlier that night and she realized why Eric was dodging her now.

Eric sat on stage staring at her and he knew the moment she figured out what was going on, Sookie's head snapped up and her eyes found him immediately, he knew she would want answers from him he was just waiting for her to figure out the question.

There was a room full of people between them but he knew she was pointing to him; Sookie motioned for him to come as she walked through the crowed to his office. Eric knew if he pretended not to see her there would be hell to pay so he followed the five foot blonde into his office, the door was barley closed when she started to scream.

"**What the fuck Eric**" "**Why would you keep this from me**" Eric walked away slowly sitting in the chair behind his desk "Sookie I'm sorry" "**Sorry**" she yelled into the ceiling. Eric waited as she paced the floor of his office cursing him and every other vampire in the world, he knew she would run out of steam soon enough and be ready to listen.

"Eric who killed Tara" she said in a calm voice as she sat on the end of his desk.

Eric knew better than to smile but he felt triumphant that he knew her so well "Franklin Mott" Sookie sat staring at Eric waiting for him to explain "Franklin was a vampire bounty hunter who worked for the AVL".

Sookie exhaled feeling more confused than ever about her friend's death "why would the American Vampire League want Tara dead"

Eric tried to think of an easy way to tell Sookie about the life Tara had kept from her but it was clear that the truth would be the only answer she would make sense.

"Sookie Tara wasn't who you thought she was; she had been dating Franklin for months"

"But Tara hated Vampires" Eric knew her statement was trued but it hadn't stopped Tara from coming into Fangtasia looking for a good time and meeting the deranged vampire Franklin Mott.

"I'm not sure why Tara came here the first night but she was here many night after that with Franklin." Sookie knew how strong the attraction could be and she couldn't blame Tara for wanting some excitement, in the last year of raising the girls she had lost so much of herself before Eric came back into their lives.

"Ok so if they were dating why did he kill her?"

"No one leaves Franklin he is known for keeping his humans until he is done and then disposing of them"

The word disposing caused her stomach to turn and she knew Eric had used it to make his point, Sookie sat silently think over what Eric had told her and she found herself being angry with Tara. Sookie had pushed Eric out of her life because she thought Tara would disapprove of her putting the girls in danger yet here she was fucking some vampire bounty hunter who happy to be bat shit crazy.

"Sam killed Franklin?" "Yup" "how?" "Don't know"

"Eric why didn't you just tell me" "I wasn't completely sure until last night"

Sookie looked at the clock and realized it had been four hours since the were's went off looking for Sam and the girl's, although her and Eric's conversation had been a distraction from the time that passed she felt more nervous now than she had earlier in the night.

Sookie laid her head across Eric's lap and started crying she had thought the girls would be back by now it was way past their bedtime "Eric did Sam take the girls pajama's?" He knew she was scared and tired not to mention he hadn't seen her eat all night, Eric stroked her head before lifting it off of his lap and holding it in his hands.

He looked her straight in the eye as he spoke "Sookie the girls will be back soon and they will need you to be strong and sane you are their Mama, you need to eat something and lay down. She knew he was right she had been through so much in the last twenty four hours and she felt like very close to cracking up, she laid back on his lap closing her eyes and dreamt about the girls.

Eric sat at his desk watching her sleep; they had been so close to happiness just a day ago, he looked down at the fax Pam had sent him earlier that week and he remembered how excited he was to hear the news.

Eric

Marriage between humans and Vampires is now legal.

Congrats Pam

He reached down and pulled the red velvet box from his desk drawer and opened it, He had planned to ask her at breakfast this morning but now he felt unsure that she'd say yes. Eric sat wallowing in his thoughts when his cell phone rang "Northman".

"Eric we found the girls" "Where?" "A motel about three miles out of Bon Temps"

"No one leaves were on our way" Eric slid the ring back into the drawer before walking over to Sookie. His hand barely touched her and she jumped to her feet "it's time" Eric took her hand as they made their way out the back exit, there was no time to drive so Eric pulled her to him and jumped into the air.

It was about fifteen minutes before they reached the wooded area where Alcide and his pack sat waiting; Sookie looked at the low budget motel and was sickened at the thought of her girls in such a place. Eric holding her hand was the only thing keeping her from running into the building and choking the life out of Sam.

"How many" it took her a minute to realize Eric was talking to her "Sookie how many" she closed her eyes and searched the motel room wither mind, there were four shifters and a were in the front room and the girls were in the back alone.

Sookie could see from their minds that they were scared and they wanted to go home, one of the men had threatened to separate them if they didn't stop crying. Sookie knew the girls hadn't been apart since birth and she told herself he would be the first to die.

When she repeated everything to Eric he agreed, Sookie's mind drifted back to the motel room as she tried to find Sam's thoughts in the room when another shifters thoughts ended her search 'fuckin Simone what do I look like babysitting those stupid brats while her and Sam run off every five minutes.'

Eric watched as her eyes blazed with anger and he didn't need to ask what was wrong, "we need a plan" Alcide said to the back of her head "you do what you want I'm going to get my girls" and Sookie walked off toward the back of the motel.

Once she reached the back of the motel she noticed Eric followed her, she turned to face him "their scared and alone and if you try to stop me I swear I will stake you. Eric didn't reply instead he pointed to a window a few feet away from where they stood.

Sookie hurried over to the window and slid it open she knew she wouldn't be fast enough so she pointed from to the window and he was gone, a few seconds later he jumped from the window with both girls in his arms.

Sookie held her finger over her mouth signaling for the girls to be quit before she wrapped her hands around Eric's waist, the four of them flew into the air circling around the woods and landing on the other side far away from the were's and the motel, Eric kissed his three girls before flying back to the motel.

Sookie looked over both of the girls looking for any bruises or marks before taking both of them into her arms, "I have missed you guys so much" the girls didn't answer they just squeezed her breathless. It was only a few minutes before Eric reappeared there was blood on his shirt but he was unharmed, "can we fly again" Sara blurted out.

Eric and Sookie broke out in laughter as the two girls stood staring up at them waiting for an answer, once the laughter calmed Eric scooped up the trio and leaped into the sky. They flew back to Fangtasia where Eric handed Sookie the keys to his car, he told her to go to his house Pam had sent chow earlier that evening to pick up some things for her and the girls.

Sookie looked down at the dirty pajama's the girls had been wearing and she kissed Eric on his cheek. He had always seemed to know how to surprise her, she was use to him trying to win her with gifts but the fact that he had thought to take care of the girls needs as well had made her very happy.

Eric sent one of Alcide pack to make sure they made it home safe and sound; with his girls on their way home it was time to get to business. Eric walked down the cement stairs into the cellar bellow the club, the music upstairs echoed until the sound proof door was fully closed.

The men Eric had taken from the motel hung from chain that were bolted into the concrete wall, he tortured the men for several hours and still hadn't gotten the information he wanted. After bringing the shifters back to the bar Eric sent Alcide to identify the were body he had found in Sookie's crawl space before continuing their search for Sam.

It was two in the morning before Sookie go the girls bathed and into Eric's bed, she tried calling him to see how things were going but he didn't answer. Sookie hoped Eric was torturing the were who had threatened her girls but she still wished he would answer the phone.

A few hours later Eric walked into the house and went searching for his three girls, He walked into his bedroom and smiled at the sight of the three of them nestled in his bed. He thought about what he was about to do and he knew if he waited something else was sure to go wrong'

Eric walked over to Sookie and placed the ring on her finger before waking her up, she scooted up on the bed looking sleepily at Eric "Sookie will you marry me."


	7. Chapter 7

**Reading through the last chapter I realized how rushed it seemed at the end sorry if this chapter was lacking details next one will be better thanks for reading and I enjoy all reviews good or bad so feel free.**

Ericstood in the bedroom doorway imagining his proposal to Sookie, he took the red velvet box from his pocket opening it and taking a step toward the bed where she and the girls lay sleeping. He removed the ring from the box and started to slide it on her finger when I tiny voice broke his concentration "are you gonna kill my daddy?"

He looked over at Sara's tiny face and slid the ring into his shirt pocket; she sat staring at him waiting for his response but Eric didn't know how to answer her question. He had been planning to kill Sam, he was sure he had something to do with the fire at Sookie's house and the woman who had tried to kill her in the hospital but he never thought about how it would affect the girls.

Eric wasn't sure how things were going to turn out, Sam had killed a vampire and a were in a matter of days and now he was on the run. The only thing Eric did know was he needed to find him to end this mess, Eric walked over sliding into bed next to Sara "No I won't hurt your daddy" he said hugging her tight and he knew he meant each word when he looked into her eyes.

Sookie woke just after dawn, she hadn't heard from Eric last night and once she had fed and bathed the girls she felt utterly exhausted. The three of them climbed into Eric's king size bed and watched the little mermaid until they fell asleep, she didn't ask them any questions about Sam or what had happened, that could wait for later for now she just wanted them to feel safe.

After a quick shower Sookie went to the kitchen to start breakfast, Eric had been keeping everything human stocked up since they've been back together so she pulled out the ingredients for a big Sunday breakfast. After they ate she planned to take the girls to the park and do a little shopping, she would need to replace pretty much everything that she and the girls owned.

She reminded herself that she had to meet her insurance agent at her house later that afternoon she was dreading seeing her family home burned to bits. She was hopeful that some things in the house would be salvageable but from what she saw the day of the fire it was doubtful.

She set the table and finished cookie before the girls came running into the kitchen, they were bickering over something Samantha said, Sookie stepped between the two girls pointing to the table "hush and eat now". They sat at the table eating quietly eating when Sookie heard the question pass through Samantha's mind.

"Is Eric our new daddy" Samantha asked while shoveling her eggs into her mouth, "No stupid vampires can't be daddies" Sara answered before Sookie could digest the question. She should have prepared herself for this question when she started dating Eric again; she knew it would come up especially now with everything that was going on with Sam.

She realized there was no right answer, she tried to explaining to them that the only way Eric could be there father would be if he and Sookie were married and with vampire human marriages being illegal that could never happen. Her answer left them confused so she decided to distract them until she could manage a better response, "Girls wanna go shopping?"

It worked the girls jumped from the table leaving a trail of crumbs as they went, Sookie put away the food and loaded the dish washer before the girls came running back into the room. They were excited and for a minute it was easy to forget everything that was going on, they raced to Eric's car Sookie letting the girls win and they headed in town for some retail therapy.

The mall was crowded as but they managed to find everything they needed, Sookie had never really had the money to get into shopping it was something she did once in a blue moon and as usual she spent more time chasing the girls through the store than actually shopping. The girls filled the cart with toys and clothes while Sookie grabbed the essentials.

Her meeting with her insurance agent was in less than an hour so she yelled for the girls and headed to checkout, with everything totaled up and in bags Sookie handed the cashier her bank card. The young girl swiped her card several times before handing it back to her, the register insisted there were insufficient funds but she was sure she had the money Eric had paid her in her account.

They left the store in a hurry Sookie feeling thoroughly embarrassed, the bank was closed on Sundays so she headed to the ATM, the girls whined and complained as they walked slowly behind her. Sookie punched in the numbers to access her account and she felt sick when she realized it was completely empty, the tiny receipt she held in her hand showed the balance had been negative for months.

Halfway down hummingbird lane Sookie started to cry, she was so angry with Sam for everything he was doing to her and the girls. They had always been good friends and she would have never imagined him capable of the things he's done lately, she turned onto the driveway to her childhood home to see a man standing in front of the ashes that use to be her house.

She wiped her face clean with her sleeve before climbing out of the car, Jeffery Lankaster the son of matt Lankaster the town lawyer was her insurance agent. He was never big on wits but his honesty made up for it, so it want a shock to her that he just came out and told her that Sam had cancelled the insurance.

Sookie couldn't believe what she was hearing and she hated herself for allowing him into her home and falling for is bullshit, her gran had taught her better than that. Sam had talked her into letting him handle the money and bills telling her he didn't want her stressed when it came to the girls.

Thanks to Sam Sookie had lost everything including her home, she hoped Alcide and his pack would find him soon because she wanted answers. Sookie was rummaging through the remains of her home while the girls played in the front yard when Sookie heard the thoughts of a man who was hiding near by

'I'll just grab them while she's not looking, no vamp around now to help her' Sookie realized she had made a mistake, she ran to the car shoving the girls into the back seat and driving off in a hurry. Looking in her rear view mirror she watched for someone to be following them and couldn't believe she was so stupid, someone had tried to kill her twice and Sam was sure to be looking for the girls she should have stayed at home and waited for Eric.

Halfway to Eric's house she started to feel a little calmer, the girls were quiet in the back seat but their thoughts were louder than ever and they were scared. Sookie started to tell them everything was alright when a blue truck appeared out of nowhere and plowed into the back of the little red car.

The wheel jerked in her hands causing them to swerve off the road, the girls screamed and started to cry as Sookie clenched the wheel and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The blue truck was no match for Eric's little red sports car as she sped around the corner and pulled in front of Eric's house, Sookie turned to the girls handing them the keys and telling them to run into the house.

She opened the car door and jumped out behind them her eyes locked on the corner looking for the blue truck. Sara turned the key and both girls ran inside with sookie following after them, a few minutes after they were all inside the blue truck pulled around the corner stopping beside Eric's car.

A tall slender man hoped out of the truck and looked around for the three of them, the man thought they had jumped from the car and ran and Sookie felt relieved that their stalker hadn't seen which house they ran into. She turned from the window once the truck pulled away and she realized the girls had been crying silently in each other's arms.

Sookie mentally scolded herself as she walked over to the girls she took them in her arms and rocked them,' So much for making them feel safe all she had managed to do was put them in more danger and scare the hell out of them.' She felt weak and for the first time in their relationship she wished Eric were human, Sookie needed him now and he was off somewhere under the house dead to the world.

Sookie sat there holding her sleeping girls when the phone rang, Sookie searched her purse looking for her phone missing the call frustrated she dumped its contents on the floor picking up the phone and dialing her voicemail listening to the message.

Jason had called asking where she was and she remembered that he didn't know that the girls were alive. She flipped her phone open and dialed her brothers number, Jason answered sounding twenty years older than he was and she felt even worse that she hadn't made this call sooner.

"Jason the girls are alive" his creams of joy echoed through the phone and lifted Sookie's spirits, "where were they?" Sookie didn't have the energy to explain everything so she gave him the short version and told him she would explain more latter, they made a plan to meet up later in the evening when Eric could come with her and then said goodbye.

Sookie covered the girls with a blanket and walked over to the huge oak cabinet in Eric's office from the outside looking in you would never guess it was the opening to his resting place. She pulled out the book that Eric had told her held the key to his special room and unlocked the door.

Opening the door she climbed down the ladder that lead into the light tight room where Eric lay sleeping, it had been another long day and she wanted it to be over. There had been yet another attempt on her and the girl's lives and finding out she was played for a fool by Sam was still weighing heavy on her conscious.

There was still an hour before the sun would set and she needed him to tell her things would alright, needing to be near him she wrapped herself in his shirt from the night before and climbed in bed with him. She lay staring at him willing him to wake up when she felt something hard pressing into her chest.

Sookie jumped from the bed holding the tiny red velvet box, her heart raced as she opened it revealing a gold band that held the biggest diamond she had ever seen, her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't fight the temptation as she slid the ring her finger.

She loved Eric so much and had imagined the two of them raising the girls and being a family several times but she had never asked Eric how he felt about it, The ring made it clear he loved her and the girls or he wouldn't be thinking of taking this step right?

Sookie refused to over think this they loved each other that was all that mattered. She crawled back in bed and wrapped his arm around her and when she buried her face in his chest and felt him move "Eric are you awake?" She could feel his body slowly stirring to life under her hand.

"Yes" he said laughing and pulling her closer to him,

"Eric I found the ring" he froze under her hand

"Eric will you marry me?" they broke out in laughter and he kissed her head

"Yes Sookie I will marry you"


	8. Chapter 8

Eric stood pacing the kitchen floor as Sookie explained everything that happened earlier that day, when she finished she half expected him to scold her for going out alone with the girls bit the scolding never came. Eric flipped open his phone and dialed the one person he could think to call "Bill this is Eric."

He repeated the story to Bill just as Sookie had told it his anger was getting the best of him; it had been two days since he paid the were's to find Sam and he was tired of waiting he wanted him found tonight. Before they hung up Bill assured Eric he would have every vampire in his kingdom on the lookout for Sam and his crew and when they were found he would be the first to know.

Sookie stood watching Eric as he started pacing again she had no idea what he was thinking but it couldn't have been good, she started to reach for him and he pulled away and continued pacing "I told Sara I wouldn't kill him" Sookie was baffled by what he said "What." Eric stopped pacing and turned to her "I want to kill him."

It took her a minute to put together what he was saying and when she did her heart went to her throat "Sara asked you not to kill Sam" Eric shook his head yes and went back to pacing. Sookie felt like a failure she had failed to keep the girls safe and now she had failed to keep them out of this mess between her Eric and Sam Sookie felt ill her knees were weak and her head started to spin.

Eric stopped moving and looked down at her, she was looked pale and worried and he knew this was all taking a very bad toll on her. He stooped by her side and rubbed his finger over the ring that was now on her finger, she was going to be his wife this was supposed to be a happy time and now he was letting his anger for Sam take that away too.

"Didn't you say you wanted to take the girls go see Jason" Eric said in an attempt to take her mind off of things, Sookie shrugged her shoulders she knew he was trying to distract her "do you think it's safe" she said not trusting her own judgment. Eric shook his head and laughed at her before calling the girls from the other room.

"Who wants to go see uncle Jason" the girls jumped in unison and their excitement made Sookie feel a little better, "are you going too Eric" Samantha said smiling up at him "Were all going" Sookie said from behind her. Samantha leaned in toward Eric "are you gonna hippotize Uncle Jason again" Eric laughed as he looked from Samantha to Sookie "it's hypnotize and no I'm not going to."

Sookie stared at him waiting for an explanation when Sara spoke up "when Eric picked us up from Uncle Jason's and brought us home he hypnosized him" Sookie smiled at Sara "was that supposed to be a secret?" Sara looked at Eric who was smiling and shook her head yes.

Eric watched out his rearview mirror the on the way to Jason's but it was Sookie who was a nervous wreck, after double checking each strap on the girls car seats she yanked hers so tight it made breathing a job. Eric drove fast but safely and they made it to Jason as quick as possible he knew being in the car after what happened earlier was making her weird.

Jason came running from the house as they pulled into the driveway and Sookie watched as he yanked the kids from the car and hugged dents into their bodies. "Where's Clair" She asked as he hugged her "she went to get something for dinner" Jason said as he led them all inside, Eric took Sookie's hand as they walked into the house he knew she would be doing most of the talking and he was wondering if she was going to tell Jason about their engagement.

Sookie waited for the girls to head to the back room to watch a movie before she started telling Jason the details of the last couple of days, his reactions were similar to Eric's he paced the floor cursing Sam and wishing him dead. Jason couldn't believe how much Sookie had been through in the last couple of days he sat back on the sofa and stared at her silently.

The silence was broken by the ringing of Eric's cell phone he looked down at the caller ID and smiled a fangy smile before flipping it open "Northman", the call was short and Eric didn't give an explanation when he told me he had to go Sookie searched their bond for a sign as to what was going on but she felt nothing.

Sookie felt panicked when Eric was out of sight, she turned to Jason who she knew had a gun and told him to load it. He walked out of the living room and returned with the loaded shot gun sitting against Sookie's chair, she knew the shotgun well it was the twin of the one that hung above the fire place at her house her whole life.

Sookie and Jason sat watching quietly watching TV while the girls played in the middle of the floor when they heard a car pull into the drive. Sookie jumped from her seat grabbing the shot gun while Jason looked out the window "it's just Clair" he said turning as the gun cocked, she exhaled in relief and put the gun back against her chair.

Sookie sat back in her chair and watched the girls as they played while Jason headed toward the door to help Clair bring in dinner, he was halfway to the door when Clair pulled it open "Jason there is someone here she says she needs to talk to you." Sookie looked up and couldn't believe her eyes she reached for the gun but it was too late, Simone already had her gun drawn.

She kept her eyes on me as shoved Clair into the kitchen cabinet making her bang her head, Jason leaped toward her and she grabbed him throwing him across the room. Sookie stood frozen as she watched the were tiger move toward her with a gun in her hand "what do you want."

Simone laughed "isn't it obvious I want you dead" "why?" Sookie asked as she stepped forward blocking her path to the girls.

"You really are a dumb blonde I want Sam" Sookie looked at the woman like she was crazy "you already have him"

"Listen Simone I don't want Sam" Sookie pointed to the ring on her finger "I'm in love with Eric"

'You don't get it bitch I have loved Sam for years and he's always busy pining after you vampire fuckers"

Sookie watched as Clair moved across the room she motioned for her to keep Simone talking while she made her way over to the stove, grabbing an old cast iron skillet that had belonged to gran Clair made slowly made her way up behind Simone. Sookie continued to ask questions to distract the shifter from noticing her brother's pregnant wife, then without hesitation Clair swung the skillet connecting with the back of Simone's head.

She fell to her knees feeling disoriented she was trying to shake off the ringing in her ears when Clair swung and hit her again this time knocking her out cold. Sookie ran to the closet and grabbed Jason's hunting bag she knew he carried thick rope and zip ties with him when he went hunting, she pulled them from the bag and hog tied the were using both the rope and the ties.

Once she was sure Simone couldn't get free she joined Claire who had ran over to check on Jason, he was unconscious but still breathing when she checked him. Clair ran to get a cold rag after taking the girls into the back room and turning the television up louder; she knew we weren't finished with the shifter.

Sookie took out her phone and called Eric "Simone is here she tied up so get here a.s.a.p. and stop fucking leaving me" she flipped the phone shut Sookie knew she was being bitchy with Eric but it really did seem that anytime he left here someone tried to kill her.

Jason came to around the same time Simone did, "you just won't die bitch" Simone grunted as she pulled on the ropes.

"How many times have you tried to kill us?" Sookie said looking down at the were tiger "Fuck you"

"How many times?" Sookie became annoyed and stood from her seat and started kicking Simone in her ribs "how many times have you tried to kill us?"

Simone yelped sounding lick a wounded cat "I TRIED TO KILL YOU NOT THEM" she nodded her head toward the room down the hall, Sookie thought back and counted how many times someone had tried to kill her in the last couple of days.

The first was when the house caught on fire, the second was the attack in the hospital, three would have been the car chase and number four was showing up here with a gun the math just wasn't adding up "How did you try to kill me?" she only had to ask once this time having picked up the shot gun and aimed it at her head.

Simone lifted her head looking defeated "the first time was when I planted the dead were in you cellar" Sookie thought back to the dead man in the light tight hole "how would that kill me?"

"The pack master is a V head I hoped he would come looking for the were and find you with the vampire and take you both out" Simone said keeping her eyes on the floor

Sookie hadn't even thought of that as an attempt on her life she just assumed Sam had gotten in too deep and hid the body at the house so it wouldn't be discovered. "And" sookie lifted the gun tapping her on the shoulder encouraging her to go on.

"The second time was when I sent Olivia to the hospital to drug you" "And"

"The third was today I watched the vamp leave and I thought I could come in here and kill you all and take the girls to Sam."

That left two times that someone had tried to kill Sookie and she had no clue who it was, part of her hoped it was Sam at least then she knew who she was looking for. Eric burst through the door stopping to look at Sookie and he felt proud "Fiancé" he said smiling, Sookie looked down at the ring on her finger and then over to her brother "oh I meant to tell you earlier Eric and I are getting married.

"Congrats Sook" Jason said rubbing his head; Sookie looked up at Eric as he moved to stand next to her "she tried to kill me three times." Eric looked down at her realizing what she was implying she wanted him to kill her, Eric hadn't been clued in on everything yet but he knew he had a few questions of his own one more important than the rest.

"Where is Sam?" Simone started shaking her head and crying "no" Sookie cocked the shotgun and pushed it into her head "no" Simone refused to tell them where Sam was and Sookie finally felt a little respect for the were tiger. "Glamour her Eric"

He knelt down to her eye lever grabbing her head to hold it still as she thrash and screamed, it took a few minutes but she fell under his trance "where is Sam Merlot" Simone's tears still rolled down her face as she spoke " at the Merlot's."

Eric and Sookie looked at each other they had been looking for Sam for days now and she had driven by Merlot's several times and never thought to check. Eric pulled out his phone and dialed Alcide's number he's at Merlots keep him there.


	9. Chapter 9

Eric pulled Jason's truck into the rear parking lot of Merlot's, he had tried to talk Sookie into staying at Jason's with the girls but being the stubborn woman she was she refused. Eric could see something changing in Sookie and he worried that the last couple of days were beginning to wear on her, she hadn't spoken to him since they left Jason's house and even now she sat staring out the window with no expression on her face.

Sookie sat staring out the window of the car playing the last couple of days through her head over and over; she was trying to understand what she could have done to Sam to make him want her dead. Simone had made several attempts on her life but she made it clear she wanted Sookie gone so she could have a life with Sam and the girls. That left Sam was responsible for the fire and the man who tried to drive them off the road.

Sookie reached out with her gift and listened to the minds inside the building, she found a strange combination of vampires humans and were's already inside, she bounced from mind to mind looking for the familiar buzz of Sam's brain. She felt a pain in her chest as she listened to his thoughts he didn't worry about his girls or wonder if they were ok there was no guilt for what he had done to them.

His only thought was of Simone and how he hoped she had gotten away safely, her stomach turned when she realized Sam was no longer the kind loving man she had known and she wanted to see him suffer like her and the girls were. "Sookie are you ok?" She turned from the window to look at Eric and saw the concern on his face, "I'm fine" she said flatly opening the car door and hoping out.

They walked through the back door to see Sam and several others tied to chairs lining the hallway from the back entrance. Sam's eyes widened as Eric walked past with Simone unconscious and thrown over his shoulder, she saw the longing in his eyes and his thoughts of them together made Sookie's blood boil, she stepped in front of him blocking his view of the Were Tiger he had changed his life for.

Sookie stood in front of Sam burning holes in the top of his head with her eyes but he refused to look at her and she found herself wishing him dead as she walked away. Eric headed for the kitchen door tossing Simone inside while Sookie walked through the double doors into the bar where she realized how seriously wrong things had gone.

Bill stood surrounded by guards at the end of the bar while Alcide stood covered in blood hovering over two bodies covered by thin white table cloths in the middle of the floor. Alcide looked up at Sookie and she read the anger and pain on his face and she knew the figures covered in white were members of his pack.

Sookie felt horrible she never wanted anyone to die protecting her especially someone she had never met, she looked around the bar again and noticed three humans she had never seen before sitting in three separate booths each one accompanied by a vampire, Sookie turned to ask Eric who they were but he was having what looked like a very serious conversation with Bill.

So she walked to the bar taking a seat on one of the stools at the end of the bar far away from Eric and Bill, she sat there realizing how drained she was feeling from everything that happened over the past couple of days and she found herself wishing she had stayed with the girls at Jason's. Sookie laid her head on the bar of felt her mind drifting through the room catching glimpses of what happened from the minds around her, she sat up straight watching through the mirror behind the bar as she caught the last of a memory as it was being wiped from a blonde woman's mind.

She saw Alcide bust through the front door of the bar while his pack piled in the rear the wolves meant business and the shifters surrendered all except Sam who had been hiding in his office calling Simone, Alcide and two others tied the shifter to the chairs and they were lining them up in the hall to wait for Eric. It took them by surprise when Sam flew from the office with a double barrel shotgun killing two wolves before Alcide could stop him.

The memory was fuzzy and fading as the vampire she assumed was hired by Bill glamoured the girl and Sookie wondered why Bill was even here. Her head was resting on her arms and her eyes closed while she tried to block out what was going on around her, it had been an extremely long day and all she wanted to do was pick the girls up and head home to bed.

Eric walked over and took a seat beside her "Bill wants to take Sam to trial for killing Franklin" Sookie's head snapped up from the bar "no they'll kill him" she had no idea why it would bother her if Sam was dead. Eric looked at her he knew she was trying to be cold toward Sam for what he had put them through but he also knew Sookie and she couldn't bear the thought of anyone being killed for any reason.

"I figured you would say that so I agreed to let Bill watch you question him before he makes his decision" Sookie sighed this was the part she had been looking forward to, she would finally get the answers from that she needed from Sam but now that his life depended on what he told her she felt sick. She excused herself to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

It wasn't until she looked in the mirror that Sookie understood why Eric looked so concerned, her skin was pale and her face looked sunken and the dark circles under her eyes made her look twenty years older than she looked a few days ago. She couldn't help but cry as she looked at her reflection and she wondered how she had managed to lose everything including her looks in a matter of days.

Eric sat at the bar waiting for Sookie to come back from the bathroom he knew questioning Sam would be hard on her and he hoped she could handle it, Bill nodded to him letting him know they needed to start soon now that Alcide and his pack had carried the shifters from the bar leaving Simone and Sam for them to handle.

Eric dragged Simone from the kitchen kicking and screaming the sounds coming from her more animal than human; Sam had been quiet sitting with his head hung like a scolded child until his eyes locked on Simone's flailing body as Eric drug her into the main bar. Sookie walked from the bathroom to find him fighting against his gag and the ropes that held his hand and feet.

Sookie stood watching him wondering how someone could change so much in just a year, she remembered how much her life had changed when she met Bill and became involved with vampires but she never let it change who she was as a person. She felt sad for Sam as Eric came to drag him away, after giving herself a few minutes to collect her thought she walked out into the main bar it was time to get this over with.

Eric had shoved Sam into a booth leaving one side free for Sookie to get comfortable; instead she walked around the chair and went to stand behind Sam placing her hands on his shoulders. Sam pulled away from her touch and she found herself tightening her grip as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Why did you take the girls?" he didn't reply but Sookie read his thoughts loud and clear 'don't want my girls raised by a fucking vampire'

She knew she had to refrain from lashing back at him but she wanted to tell him how that vampire loved his girls, how he wouldn't put them in danger, how he would take the time to tuck them in at night and read them stories. She wanted to rub it in his face how happy their lives had been without him but she exhaled and continued with her questions.

"Why did you set my house on fire?" Again he didn't reply but she could see that he had no idea what she was talking about so she moved on,

"Who was the man who ran me and the girls off the road?" Sam's body stiffened "I never tried to kill you or my girls" he screamed, Sookie searched his mind and shook her head at Eric letting him know he was telling the truth.

"Who was the were under my house?" Sam looked down at Simone and back at the table he thought about the plan he and Simone had made to get rid of Sookie they killed a were who was hooked on V and hid him in Sookie's light tight cubby and take the girls, they had planned on calling the police until they heard her house had gone up in flames.

Sookie paused for a minute taking her hands off of Sam's shoulders, it was hard for to imagine Sam killing anyone but to know he did just to get rid of her was sickening. She turned to face Eric as the tears fell from her eyes and her voice was weak and broken when she repeated what she saw in Sam's head, Eric pulled her to him and kissed her tears from her face before she put her hands back on Sam's shoulders.

"Where's my money?" Sam sat quietly and Sookie searched his mind for the answer but all she found was random thoughts like before when he sat in her kitchen with Simone.

"Sam Merlot where is my money?" there was long silence and she tightened her grip on his body and still nothing. Sookie lost it she slammed her hands down on the table and moved to face him "Damn it Sam I took you ion and raised your girls and you took everything from the least you could do is give me the courtesy of looking me in the eye and telling why you did it"

"Did you kill Franklin Mott?" Sam turned to look at bill and Eric "Yes, Yes I did and I'd do it again" he nodded his head toward Bill "and he knows why." Sookie froze looking from Eric to Bill who stood staring at the floor, Eric nodded at Sam telling Sookie to finish her questioning and she made a mental note to come back to this with Bill later.

"Did you know Simone tried to kill?" Sam's laughed "bullshit" Eric reached into the booth beside him grabbing Simone by the hair and yanking her head back exposing her throat "tell him" he whispered as he grazed his fangs across her heck. Sam fought against his ropes screaming and cursing Eric to let her go when Eric pressed his fangs against her skin harder drawing blood "tell him"

Simone cried out at the pain before she started rambling "I did it, I wanted her dead, you love her, I did it for us, I love you, we can be a family" Eric clamped his hand over her mouth and everyone turned to Sam looking for a response.

Sam kept his eyes on the table and he didn't say a word, Sookie watched Eric as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it in front of Sam "sign this and you can walk away with your life" Sam looked down at the piece of paper before looking up at Sookie's hand that now held another mans ring "Congratulations."


	10. Chapter 10

Sookie sat watching as Sam sat staring down at the paper Eric had slid in front of him, she had no idea what was written on it but whatever it was it was taking a lot out of him to sign it. She sat at the bar feeling her eyes getting heavy it was only a few hours before dawn and she wondered how long they would wait for him to sign the paper.

Her head fell onto her hands and she could feel sleep pulling at her and she knew she needed to get some air and wake up, Sookie looked at Eric who had been staring at her all night with a concerned look on his face and pointed to the door letting him know she was going outside for a minute.

The cool night air hit her face and she sighed this was beginning to be the longest night of her life and there had been some pretty long ones since she had met her first vampire, Sookie looked down at the ring on her hand and she wondered if she was doing the right thing marrying Eric.

Her divorce from Sam had only been finalized a week ago and here she was already engaged again, there was no doubt in her mind that she loved Eric and her family was complete with him and the girls but did he really know what he was signing up for.

There was a lot that came along with raising kids and so far he had done well but they were still getting use to him, he had never been up all night with a sick kid or seen how it really is to not be able to plan ahead to do anything. Not to mention the lack of alone time did he really understand how much having them in his life would change it?

Sookie was deep in thought when she heard screams coming from inside the bar; the voice was female so she could only assume the dramatic tiger was causing more trouble. When she pulled the door open and stepped inside she was shocked to see that Sam and Simone had both shifted.

Fear shot through her body and she froze in the doorway he first thought being the two had shifted with a plan to escape that was until she saw Eric and Bill standing against the wall without a care in the world, neither of them reacting to the tigers that were tearing Merlot's apart.

Sookie watched as the white tiger pounced on the striped one tearing at its throat, she had no clue which tiger was Sam but she had hoped he was the white one. The tigers roared and fought for several minutes before the white tiger finally pinned the other, she wasn't positive but Sookie thought she heard it whimper before it bit down on its neck making a loud snapping sound.

The striped tiger when still and Sookie looked over at Eric, she felt herself falling slowly to the floor and she couldn't move to stop it, she had been through so much in the last couple of days and Eric had wondered how she was holding it all together but as he watched her fall he knew she hadn't been together at all.

Eric flew across the room catching her before she hit the floor and he carried her to a booth where he laid her down and let her rest. Sookie woke up panicked and fighting for air her last memory being the two tigers, had she really just watched two tigers fight to the death in the middle of the bar she had worked in for years.

She sat up in the Booth Eric had laid her in and looked around the room it was a relief to see Sam sitting in the booth across from Bill while Eric stood by the dead tiger with his phone to his ear. Sookie had hoped the white tiger that won was Sam even after everything he had put her through he was too good to die at the hands of that bitch.

The room went silent when the three of them realized she was awake and Sam actually managed to look as concerned as Eric and Bill, she sat there looking at their faces and she couldn't help but laugh at the fact that her presence could affect two vampires and a shifter. Eric walked over and sat next to her in the booth, "are you alright Lover?" he said in his sweetest voice and she knew he thought she was losing it.

"What happened?" Eric looked puzzled "you passed out"

"No Eric why did I walk in on two tigers fighting" she pointed to the body in the middle of the room that was now turning back into its human form.

Eric slid a piece of paper across the table "I untied Sam so he could sign this and he attacked Simone choking her and screaming at her for trying to kill you and she shifted so he did too" he said shrugging his shoulders like he watches two tigers fight every day.

Sookie looked down at the paper in front of her and started to read, her hand flew up to cover her mouth and she started to cry. Not only had Eric had Sam to sing over his rights to parental right but he had signed over the bar, his rental properties and his trailer to her and the girls, she looked over her shoulder at Sam and he smiled it was a smile she hadn't seen in almost a year.

"What will happen to him now?" Sookie asked looking down at the table,

Eric got up from the booth and reached for her hand "he will go into a sort of vampire protection program" he explained as they walked over to join Sam and Bill.

The four of them were sitting in the booth going over the details of everything that had happened in the last couple of days when Sookie remembered what Sam had said earlier about Bill knowing why he had killed Franklin.

"Bill why did Sam say you knew why he killed franklin?" Sam's body stiffened next to her and it made her want to know the answer even more.

Bill ran his hands through his hair before he answered "well I was the one who told Sam about Franklin and Tara" he looked satisfied with his answer but Sookie pressed for more, "and?" There was a long silence and she was growing impatient with the bullshit.

So she turned to Sam, the only reason she hadn't asked him in the first place was because he had done so much lying lately she wasn't sure he would tell the truth but at this point what did he have to lie for. "Well Sam?" Sookie exhaled showing her irritation

"I was working for Bill he had me tail Franklin he was a visitor in their area and he was known to be crazy."

Sookie watched as Eric's face turned to stone obviously this was something his king had failed to tell him and it would explain why Bill was so eager to take Sam out of there claiming it was to go to trial.

"So Bill told you to kill Franklin?" Bill started to protest Sookie's accusation when Sam held up his hand and answered for himself.

"No Sookie that's not how it happened I knew Tara was messing with vampires we were not happy together it was a show for the girls, but when I followed Franklin that night and I saw the two of them together I couldn't stand it. Tara was calling things off with him and he grew angry and pushed her around a little,

I decided then I was going to kill him but when she left I lost track of him and by the time I caught up with him again he was covering up Tara's murder.

Sam broke down with the last sentence and he fell against Sookie as he cried "I was too late to save her" he cried into her shoulder. Sookie had had enough he wanted her pity for what failing to save the mother of his children only to turn around and cause them more pain by shaking up with some crazy were bitch who tried to kill her, not to mention all the other stupid shit he had done.

Sookie shoved Sam off of her and stood from the booth "Eric I'm ready to get my girls and go home" and she walked out of the bar without looking back. Eric followed a few minutes later and when he climbed in the truck he didn't dare ask her any questions, they drove in silence until Sookie started to cry.

We're not picking up the girls yet Jason can bring them tomorrow when he gets his truck Sookie said to the dash board, it was three thirty in the morning and she needed time to process everything she had learned tonight. They pulled into the parking garage and Sookie jumped out of the car and headed into the house without another word to Eric.

Her cell phone buzzed as she walked into the bathroom she shut the door and leaned against before she flipped it open "can I come in" Sookie laughed as she read Eric's message, her anger wasn't with him and she hated that it flowed over onto their relationship.

She knew he loved her and the girls tonight was just him showing her once again how much, he had made sure the girls had a future they now owned property and a business thanks to his planning ahead. Sookie opened the door and stood face to face with the man she loved and when he wrapped his arms around her she dreaded dawn.

Sookie woke the next morning in bed alone her and Eric had spent the rest of the night lying in bed talking about their plans for the future, she was shocked to find out that Eric had always wanted kids and he couldn't wait for them to legalize adoption for vampires so he could give the girls his last name.

Sookie made a joke about artificial insemination but the look on Eric's face was if a light bulb had went off, they talked about buying a bigger house once they were married and she told him she wanted a huge kitchen as a vampire he had no need for a kitchen so she explained how with humans it is the heart of the house.

Dawn was approaching and they had covered all the pluses of them being married and Sookie didn't want to ruin their lovely conversation but she had to be sure Eric really knew what he was getting into.

"What if you change your mind?" Sookie said into his chest, Eric put his finger under her chin lifting her head up to look into her eyes "why would I change my mind?" "Things won't always be perfect" "Sookie I'm not looking for perfect"

"Eric the girls can be a hand full" "well it's good I have two hands the"

"Is everything a joke with you" "only when you are trying to talk me out of loving you"

"You'll tell me if you change your mind?" "Nope, because I won't"

"We'll see" "how about we build a house from scratch?"

Sookie fell asleep listening to Eric verbally design their dream home and when she woke at eleven the next morning she felt completely refreshed mentally and physically. Jason brought the girls home a little after one and he and Clair stayed for lunch while she filled them in on the Drama at Merlot's last night, by the time she had finished talking Jason looked like he had aged a few years.

After they were filled in on everything and Clair helped with the dishes from lunch they headed home; Sookie was sitting in the living room watching the girls play with their dolls when her phone buzzed making her jump. She and the girls laughed as she flipped it open and read the message,

'Sookie I know I made a lot of mistakes and I owe you more than I have ever given for raising the girls, I also know I have no right to ask but can I say goodbye to them?' She didn't have to look to see who the message was from the first line had given that away.

Sookie thought it over for a minute and she decided it would be best for the girls to say good bye but she wanted Eric to be there when he came just in case this was another plot to run with her daughters.

'Come to Eric's house at seven we will need to agree on what to tell and what not to tell the girls before you talk to them.'

Sookie flipped the phone shut hoping she hadn't just made a huge mistake but when she looked over at the girls she knew the only other option was him disappearing and them blaming themselves when they got older.

Eric walked into the kitchen to find Sookie cooking dinner for the girls he could tell she knew he was there when her heart started to race; he loved the way her body reacted to him as he crept up behind her kissing the nape of her neck. Sookie giggled and pressed her body against his letting out a gasp as he covered her mouth with his.

They were enjoying teasing each other when four tiny feet came running into the room attacking Eric from behind, she watched as he pretended to fear them falling to the floor and screaming for help. When he surrendered Sookie sent the girls to wash up for dinner and she filled Eric in on what Sam had asked her earlier and he agreed it would be best for the girls.

After dinner Sookie bathed the girls they all watched a movie while they waited for Sam to show up, it wasn't until ten o' clock came and went that Sookie realized he wasn't coming. So Eric raced the girls to their room and tucked them into bed before reading them a story or two, once they were settled Eric collected kisses and walked out of the room.

"Told you vampires can be daddy's" "ok you win we have a vampire daddy"


	11. Chapter 11

It had been four months since Andy Belfluer showed up at Eric's house to tell them they found Sam dead in his trailer, when Sam didn't show up Sookie figured he was having a hard time facing her and the girls and when he didn't answer her calls she left it alone.

It was a beautiful summer evening and Eric, Sookie and the girls were playing in the yard when a police car pulled into the driveway. Things had been going great the last few months and they were starting to feel like a family but the police car pulling into the driveway made it feel like it would all fall apart.

Sookie took the girls inside for dinner while Eric talked to Andy, she hoped this had nothing to do with Sam but her gut told her it did. Nothing good could come from Sam's death; it was only a few months ago that everything he owned was mysteriously signed over to her and the girls the last thing she wanted was him to end up dead.

She waited inside watching out the window for Eric to finish talking and when she saw the police car drive off she ran out the door closing it behind her. Sookie stood at the top of the stairs looking down at him'

"What's going on" she said hoping he would say anything other than Sam was dead.

Eric looked up at her and his face told her she was right "They found Sam's body in his trailer this morning"

Sookie felt her knees get weak "How did it happen?" "Do they know who did it?" "Why did they come here?"

She panicked letting every thought that crossed her mind fall out of her mouth when Eric grabbed her and held her to him "Sookie we didn't do anything wrong."

"Do they know that?" she pulled away from him and sat on the step she felt guilty that she was more concerned about getting in trouble than the fact that Sam was dead, her head slumped into her hands and she said the words out loud realizing what the meant

"Oh god Eric what do we tell the girls?"

Now four months later and still no one has figured out the who, what, where, when and why of Sam's death and Eric suggested that they not tell the girls anything until they knew all the facts, the idea was working so far and they were used to him being gone a lot so it was only every now and then that the girls mentioned him but when they did her eyes would fill with tears.

Sookie laughed as she walked through the bar listening to Eric's ideas for the bars new name, she had a hard time dealing with the girls going off to school so when Eric offered to give her the money to remodel the bar she was thankful for a project to keep her busy.

He offered his help with the remodeling but Sookie figured one Fangtasia in the world was and she let him down gently, she told him it would be better for him to handle the books rather than the decorating after all she knew Eric was great with money and she could trust him.

They had managed to hire back a few of the old employees even after Sam had left them high and dry with no explanation, Sookie made Terri and Arlene managers and to thank them for coming back and help fix the bar up. A few of the old waitresses came back and left again but they replaced them easily and once they found an new cook and bar tender things were really coming together.

Sookie had thought about calling Lafayette and offering him job back as a cook but no one knew how to get ahold of him, she hadn't heard from him since Tara's funeral and once Sam and the girls moved in she was so distracted she hadn't thought to call her friend and see how he was doing. Lafayette had always been a good friend and if it wasn't for him and Tara Sookie may not have made it through her grans death she felt like a horrible friend for not returning the favor.

"Opening night tomorrow night" Sookie said excited as Eric locked up the bar and they headed to pick up the girls from Jason's, Eric smiled at her as she danced around the parking lot he loved seeing her happy. Sookie pulled the passenger door open and climbed in when she heard a loud popping sound and Eric slumped over the front of the car.

The blood that splattered onto the windshield kept her from seeing Eric condition so she jumped from the car and ran to the front of the car, Sookie mind was searching the parking lot as while she moved Eric from the hood of the car to check his injuries and she heard nothing. Her heart stopped when she laid his head across her lap and saw the hole that was where Eric eyes use to be.

Sookie panicked and held her wrist up to Eric's mouth but he didn't drink, she needed something to cut her flesh so she looked around but here was nothing. Sookie was looking down at Eric when the thought came to her she lifted his lip and saw his fangs had dropped so she pressed her wrist against them and yanked her arm upward causing her blood to flow into his mouth.

After a minute of sitting there letting her blood drip into his mouth she felt his body twitch under her hand and his mouth closed around her wrist and he stated to drink, Sookie felt anxious she had been in this situation before when bill had been seriously injured and unconscious she had tried to save him and it resulted in her rape and almost death.

When she started to feel a little light headed she started to pull her hand away and another pop rang in her ears, Sookie dropped to the ground as the air wash pushed from her body. She looked down and saw the blood pooling around as she gasped for air her body was going numb but she could feel as Eric continued to draw blood from her wrist.

Sookie tried to speak but there was no air in her body to push the words out, she wanted Eric to stop to wake up and save her from the cold that was taking over her body. It had been four months since someone tried to kill her and she had almost forgotten about the stranger who set her house on fire and the man who tried to run her off the road.

Her eyes closed and she thought this was it she was going to die when she heard footsteps coming toward her, her eyes flew open but her vision was blurry. Someone was standing over her looking down she could feel the faint tingle of their mind that told her they were human, Sookie reached her hand up asking for help only to have it fall back to the ground.

The human walked away quickly leaving with a bullet in her chest and being drained by her Fiancé, Sookie felt Eric licking the wound closed on her wrist and suddenly she could feel his fear and panic flow through their bond "Sookie" she heard Eric say her name and everything went black.

When Sookie opened her eyes she was back in the bar Pam holding her giving her blood while Eric paced, she saw the anger in his face and she knew he had figured out what happened, Whoever had wanted me dead so bad months ago had decided to come back and finish the job.

The only thing she couldn't understand was why they had waited until now, there had been plenty of opportunities where she had been home alone during the day or even times when she had been at the bar working late. Why would they take the chance of waiting until she was out with a vampire to try and kill her?

Sookie pushed pam's wrist away and the two of them looked down at her "it's a human" she whispered, Eric looked at her desperately before picking her up into his arms and holding her against him. She knew what he was feeling because she had felt it when the house burned down with him inside, she felt like her world would never be the same without him.

It was a long time before Eric spoke and she knew he was blaming himself for what had happened but it was Sookie who had broken the silence "the shots came from the bushes over by Sam's trailer" no one had been inside the trailer since the police had found his body there and Sookie wondered if whoever was trying to kill her might have had something to do with Sam's death.

It would have been the only thing to explain why they had disappeared for so long before showing up to finish her off, whoever had killed her must have been in hiding making sure things had smoothed over from Sam's death before coming back.

Sookie looked at the two vampires in the room and told them her theory; at first she though they would laugh her off and blame it on her near death experience but they heard her out and both of them agreed that it was possible. They sat trying to figure out why anyone would want to kill Sam and Sookie and then it hit them, the girls were the only think that she and Sam had in common.

The girls were safe at Jason's and she thanked god they weren't with her tonight like had been so many other times, Eric walked out the rear door to the trailer that Sam had lived in behind the bar. He hadn't thought of searching it before but now that they were thinking about the connection between Sookie and Sam he felt like it needed to be done.

Sookie stayed inside the bar with Pam who was fussing over the blood on her new dress threatening to send Eric yet another bill for dry cleaning, she sat pouting in the corner of a booth blotting at the stain with club soda when Sookie busted out laughing. "What's so funny" Pam said in an irritated tone "I was just thinking how much you bicker like the girls and that when I and Eric get married you would be like my step daughter" Sookie giggled.

After Pam made a few references as to how Sookie would be the ugly step mother Eric walked back in the door and he didn't look happy, "Someone has been staying in the trailer" he said flipping his phone open. Sookie flopped back down in the booth next to Sam while Eric made his phone call she couldn't believe that the person who had been trying to kill her was so close all this time.

Eric hung up and tossed his phone on the table before joining them in the booth, Sookie could tell by his body language that he was thinking the same thing and his anger was growing as he sat staring at her. She knew he would die to keep her safe and he was probably beating himself up over what happened in the parking lot, she smiled at him as she reached across the table and took his hand.

Sookie was completely in love with Eric and she was well aware of how he felt about her they had been through hell together, even before they knew they were in love he had done anything to keep her safe and she had done the same. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, a big man with a clip board had Eric sign a paper before they wheeled off Sam's trailer.

Once the trailer was off the property they climbed in the car again and headed home, they were pulling into the garage when Sookie noticed a familiar figure standing in the driveway. "Lafayette" she screamed jumping out of the car and throwing her arms around him, it had been almost a year and a half since she had seen her old friend.

She thought it was so odd that she had been thinking about him just the other day and now here he was but she was happy to see him all the same, "how is you miss thang and where are my beautiful nieces." Sookie smiled as she told him where the girls where and after she invited him in she showed his photos and filled him in on how grown they were, when she told him how Samantha look like Tara but it was Sara who had her attitude.

Lafayette laughed and they chatted for what seemed like hours catching up, it was close to three in the morning and Sookie was tired so she started to say her goodbyes when Eric asked where he was staying. "Um well I was gonna ask if I could stay her yall is my only family in town," Sookie said yes without hesitation and she showed him to the guest bedroom before she headed to bed.

Eric walked out of the shower and climbed into bed next to her, "are you sure about him staying here?"

Sookie was half asleep when she mumbled "He's family" and she kissed him as he held her.


	12. Chapter 12

Huge thanks to everyone who is reading I love the reviews they make me wanna write more so let me know like it or hate it, Oh and if you think you know who the killer is think again.

Opening night went off without a hitch the bar was packed and Sookie was shocked at the crowed out front when she went to open the doors for the night, they opened at dusk so that Eric could be there with her for opening night and they stayed busy all night.

Eric was in his element entertaining the bar patrons even the few that were still uncomfortable with vampires, he put on his most human face and moved around the room conversing and making people feel welcome. It was a total opposite from the role he played at Fangtasia posing and treating everyone as if they were a stain in the carpet.

It was clear to see he was proud of Sookie for everything she was doing and he told her about a thousand times since she started working on the bar, he watched her as she moved around the room laughing and serving drinks but she was not the only one he had his eyes on.

Eric found it strange that Lafayette showed up just after they had the trailer hauled away, he tried to talk to Sookie about it last night but she insisted it was just bad timing. There were many things he believed in but bad timing was not one of them, he continued to watch Lafayette who was sitting in a booth with the girls playing and laughing.

Sookie could see Eric watching Lafayette and it was starting to bother her he was the only piece of Tara the girls had left and she wouldn't let him chase him away. After a few last minute to go orders and dividing up the tips it was closing time.

Sookie had enjoyed fixing up the bar and now that it was done and she had hired Arlene and Teri to manage it Eric was pushing her to plan their wedding. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry him but she was ready for a small ceremony and reception but Eric had other plans.

"Sookie you only get married once" he busted out laughing until she shot daggers at him with her eyes "I mean you only get married to me once and I want you to have it all." Imagine her surprise when he mentioned a huge ceremony in a church with tone of guest's vampires and human, after a joke about him bursting into flames while entering the church she realized Eric was proud to be marrying her and he wanted everyone to know about it.

The thought of them walking down the aisle made him happy so she agreed to the big wedding the town car and the live band, her and Sam had driven to the court house and married with only Arlene and Terri to witness the event. Her heart still ached when she thought about Sam and she hoped everyday they would find out what happened to him.

With the bar closed Eric and Lafayette carried the girls to the car while Sookie locked up, she still felt eerie in the rear parking lot even now with the trailer gone so she had parked in front of the bar under the street lamp. They made in home on one piece and put the girls to bed before having a celebratory drink with Lafayette who Sookie insisted stay with them as long as he needed.

She knew Eric wasn't happy with her decision to let him stay but he went along with it anyway, it was odd for him to give in so easily so she figured he must have had a reason. Lafayette and Sookie joked and cut up about the girls while Eric stood silent making both of them feel a little uncomfortable.

Sookie pretended to stretch saying goodnight and heading toward the bedroom hoping Eric would follow, he did and when she turned around and closed the door behind them she knew he was angry.

"How long is he staying?" Eric said calmly but Sookie could tell there was an alternate meaning

"As long as he needs why what is the big deal Eric"

"Do you think now is a good time to have house, someone is trying to kill us you know" and there it was Eric had always had a way of saying things without saying them so she wouldn't know how to react. Sookie turned and looked at him she was ready for the fight until she saw him removing his clothes, his shirt was gone and he was standing in his briefs and suddenly she didn't feel like fighting.

She walked over to stand in front of him running her hands up and down his chest before wrapping them in his hair and pulling him in for a kiss, Eric's arms wrapped around her pulling her to him.

"You want me?" he asked teasing her,

He knew what she wanted and he let his hands wander her body tugging at her clothes, Sookie fumbled with her belt eager to feel his cool skin on hers. Eric lifted her up wrapping her legs around his waist and slamming her against the wall,

"Tell me you want me"

"I want you Eric" Sookie gasped at the shock of hitting the wall she could tell he was angry about Lafayette and he needed to ease some of his frustrations and she was more than willing to let him.

She twisted her hands in his hair pulling him back just enough and sinking her teeth into his bottom lip,

"I need you Eric" She moaned as she sucked the small drops of blood from his mouth

Sookie could feel her body throbbing for him as he lifted her arms locking both her wrists in his grip,

"You want this" He said using the other to message her clit slowly.

He pressed his body against hers stopping her from wiggling free from his grip before slide his fingers deep inside rubbing her sweet spot moving his finger in and out while her juices flowed down his hand.

Sookie moaned against his shoulder begging him for more she wanted him hell she needed him "Fuck me Eric."

There was no air between their bodies and he could feel when she started to jerk making him move his fingers faster and deeper until she couldn't take anymore, her muscles tightened around his fingers and she whispered his name as she came.

Eric smiled at her as he licked her juices from his hand he loved everything about Sookie her smell, her moans, the way her body felt against him, the thought of her being his forever was too much. He pictured her walking toward him in a beautiful gown willing to be his forever and he felt the need to be inside of her.

Sookie was still recovering from her orgasm when he shoved her onto the bed kneeling behind her as he pulled her to her to him and with one swift motion he filled her with his manhood. Sookie thrust her hip back and forth moaning as he pounded into her she could feel him through her body as she sagged to the mattress screaming her way into another orgasm.

Eric grabbed her shoulders pulling her back into him pounding inside of her he wanted more, he pulled her back only to slam her forward again as he pushed inside of her. Sookie's moans came out in gasps her words jumping syllables as she fought for air, Eric pulled her up by her hair running his tongue over her shoulder.

She tasted like the sun and he craved it with everything in him as he pounded into her again, "I love you" she whispered before he sank his fangs into her shoulder and drinking from her as he filled her with his seed.

"I love you too" he moaned as they collapsed onto the bed their bodies tangled in each other, Eric lay their watching her stomach move up and down as she breathed neither of them ready for what he was about to say

"I want a child" Sookie glared at him as he rubbed his hand along her stomach,

"What are you serious?"

"Yes very serious I want to make love to you while you carry our child" Eric looked up at her giving his best puppy dog expression.

"Eric I" he held his finger over her lips quieting her,

"Just promise after the wedding you will think about it" Sookie stared at him and she could see his heart was on his sleeve in this moment and she agreed to think about it after the wedding. It would be a hard decision to make the girls had been thrown into her life and she hated the danger that put them in, she wondered if she could bring a baby into a life where someone always seemed to be trying to kill her.

Two weeks later and Lafayette was still staying with them thing were good, Eric had lightened up a lot about him being around and he help with the girls while Sookie worked some nights at the bar. It had also been Two weeks since they had been shot outside the bar, she still felt uneasy locking up and heading to her car at night even with Eric there.

Sookie had started the wedding planning and just as she thought it was spiraling out of control, the guest list was up to four hundred people and all but twenty of them were from Eric's list. They made all of their appointments in the evening so he could come along and she found it hilarious how he got excited over the tiny details, Sookie wasn't asked what roses she wanted or how tall the center pieces should because Eric had already decided.

It had only been a few weeks since they had started planning and already more than half of the to do list was done; she stood in the kitchen cooking dinner when he came alive for the night. Sookie heard his footsteps when he tried to sneak upon her but she wasn't in the mood, with everything wedding related starting to feel rushed Sookie wondered if there wasn't an ulterior motive behind it.

"Why do you want to marry me?" she said turning and stopping him in his tracks, he looked at her confused surely she had lost her mind if she didn't know why he was marrying her.

"What now" he said pinching the bridge of his nose and sitting at the table, Eric had thought they were happy truly happy but like always with Sookie she had to over think their lives together. The last she questioned their relationship she married Sam.

"Why do you want to marry me?" he asked looking up at her "Sookie I love you that why I want to marry you"

Sookie walked over and say beside him without saying a word, "Sookie what is this about?" he was waiting for her to break a lot of things had happened in the last year, she was almost killed several times, she lost her childhood home, the girls were taken and Sam had died. There were lots of good things in between but he knew it would catch up to her soon enough.

"Get dressed I want to show you something" Sookie went and dressed while Eric asked Lafayette to watch the girls, once they were in the car Eric slid a blindfold over Sookie's eyes "don't peak." No one spoke as they drove for what seemed like forever Eric had been planning to show her this on their wedding night but her could see she needed a reason to smile right now.

Eric pulled the car to a stop and in seconds he was pulling her from the car, he held her hand as they walked she could feel wet grass under her feet and the smell of roses filled the air. He pulled the blind fold off slowly and Sookie couldn't believe her eyes,

"Eric how?" Sookie stood on Humming Bird Lane staring at her childhood home, Eric had been planning working on it for months. She walked around the yard as he pointed out the additions he had made a pool, a swing set that belonged in an amusement park, and an expansion on the deck that was loaded with old fashioned patio furniture.

When they walked inside Sookie started to cry he had saved what he could of her grans things but what he couldn't save he found its match her childhood home looked sparkling new yet still the same. Eric drug her up the stairs he could wait to show her one last thing he had extended the second floor to include three more bedrooms which he had decorated to down to the wall decals.

"What do you think?" he said whispered as he wrapped his arms around her

"I think I want marry you and have you make love to me while I carry our child"


	13. Chapter 13

It was the day of her wedding and Sookie felt like the walls were closing in on her, she closed her eyes and pushed all of the noise out of her head. When she opened her eyes again she was face to face with her best friend Tara, Sookie knew this was impossible Tara had been dead for over a year now thanks to Franklin Mott.

"Sookie what's wrong aint you happy to see me?" Tara said smiling at her "did you think I would miss your big day?"

Sookie stared at her feeling confused by her words "Tara your, your dead" she said looking her up and down Tara looked lovely she wore a pale pink dress with beautiful sequence along the color, her hair was done up with tiny white flowers in it. She had never seen her friend look so wonderful before, "Tara Franklin killed you, you're dead" Sookie repeated hoping Tara would comprehend what she was saying.

Tara stepped back covering her chest with her hands as if she was shocked by what Sookie was saying "no, no where are my girls Sookie where are they I need to see them, they're in danger"

Sookie reached her hand out to comfort her best friend wanting to tell her the girls were fine that they were safe but as soon as her fingers touched the cloth of Tara's dress things went terribly wrong. Tara's skin started to look chalking and gray and her eyes sank into her head, Tara tried to speak but no sound came from her body and Sookie watched as her best friend turned to ashes in front of her.

Sookie woke up to the Lafayette and the girls in the kitchen having lunch, she had been having the strangest dreams since she started planning the wedding and this one was sure to make the top ten. Her dreams were vivid and she couldn't seem to figure out why they all revolve around Tara, maybe it was because she knew her friend would hate the fact that she was marrying a vampire, Tara had made her feeling for vampire clear to Sookie many times she hated them.

That's why it was so hard to believe she was shacking up with Franklin Mott, It wasn't until almost a year after her death that Sookie found out about Tara and Franklin; remembering how much time Tara had spent hating on Sookie's relationships with Bill and Eric made her angry all over again. To find out Tara had judged the only two men Sookie had ever loved while she was running around with that disgusting Franklin Mott made her wonder if she ever really knew Tara at all.

Over the years Tara referred to Eric as a monster more times than she could count and Sookie always wondered what had changed after Tara had the girls, She remembered the first time Tara had called them to invite them over for a cook out her and Sam were throwing and looking back at the time line Bill had given it was around the time she showed up at Fangtasia. Was it possible Tara was covering her tracks by being kind to Eric so he wouldn't tell Sookie about the trip she had taken to Fangtasia?

Tara was never kind to anyone but she never referred to Eric as a monster again and even trusted them to keep the girls over at my house a couple of times, Sookie wondered if Tara really would hate her marrying a vampire maybe Tara had fallen in love with Franklin maybe she had finally seen Sookie's side of things. She knew the only way she would ever know the answers was to ask Tara and well she was dead so that wasn't happening, so she climbed out of bed stretching as she headed to the kitchen.

When she walked into the kitchen she found Lafayette and the girls playing a board game, "good morning" she said kissing each of the girls on the head as she made her way to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup, "whose winning?" Sookie asked winking at Lafayette. The girls jumped around excited telling her how they had beaten the shorts off of their Uncle, Sookie couldn't help but laugh as she turned back to her coffee.

"I heard last night" Lafayette said as he walked up next to her filling his own cup "If it's a big deal Sook I can stay somewhere else" he whispered so the girls wouldn't hear. Sookie felt mortified that Lafayette had heard the argument between her and Eric, he had been nothing but helpful with the girls and even stepped in where she needed him at the bar. She had no reason not to trust her friend and she wasn't going to just throw him out on the streets, Sookie walked over and sat by the girls before she answered, "Lafayette it's not a big deal you are family you can stay as long as you need."

Last night after the bar closed Eric and Sookie drove home in silence she could tell something was bothering him all night and she was pretty sure she knew what it was. She had left the girls at home alone with Lafayette and Eric being mister Trust no one was sure something was going to go wrong, he drove well over the speed limit and once they made it home he rushed inside at vamp speed and checked on the girls.

Sookie walked into the bedroom and started to get ready for bed she knew what was coming and she had no interest in arguing with him tonight, she climbed in bed hoping when he saw that the girls were alright he would calm down before he coming to bed. Eric walked into the room and the look on his face was anything but calm, Sookie pulled the covers up around her realizing he wasn't going to let things go.

"Eric I don't want to fight with you, but I wish you would that Lafayette is not going to hurt the girls were his family"

Eric turned his back on her rolling his eyes, he was use to her being a trusting person but with everything that was going on around them he hoped she would learn to be more cautious. He walked over to the bed and sat next to her,

"You keep saying he family but you don't find it strange that someone was trying to kill you and they just stop when he shows up?"

Sookie could tell he was trying to be calm and rational with her but she had known Lafayette her whole life and she knew how protective he was over his family and she trusted that he would never let anything happen to them. She took Eric's hand and looked into his eyes as she spoke,

"Eric I need you to trust me when I tell you Lafayette is not a danger" Eric looked at her and he wanted to make her happy but he knew something didn't fit, he pulled his hand from hers "I have some work to do at Fangtasia" he said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room, It was almost dawn when Eric came home and kissed her on the forehead before he went to rest for the day.

She took a sip of her coffee and looked at the clock it was already after eleven and the bar opened at one, Sookie needed to drop the girls off at Jason's before heading into town for the final dress fitting before the wedding. She wasn't due to be at the bar until later in the evening so she showered and dressed in in regular clothes instead of her uniform before loading the girls in the car and heading to her Jason's house.

Sookie drove down the old dirt road to her brother's house and she realized how thankful she was for Jason and Clair, they had helped her with the girls so much in the last couple of months and she couldn't wait return the favor. She watched her brother climb out from under his truck and run toward her car pulling the girls out covering them with dirt and grime. "Jason your filthy" Sookie laughed as she pointed out the obvious, "girls I broke my truck wanna help me fix it" he said smiling over his shoulder at her.

The girls ran toward the truck grabbing at the tools While Sookie walked inside to say hello to her sister in-law, after having a glass of tea with Clair and talking about the babies arrival coming so soon Sookie headed back into town. She had an appointment for her final dress fitting in less than an hour giving her just enough time to stop for lunch before she got there got there.

Eric wanted a traditional wedding which included the church, tons of guests and the huge white gown that, she was willing to give in to his wedding wishes for the most part but she drew the line at the thirty foot train that went with the gown. Sookie pulled into the parking lot of the pop shop and started to get out of the car when she saw a familiar face standing in front of her, Sookie stared at the girl who was looking back at her and she could have sworn she was looking at her dead friend.

"Tara" she said approaching the girl slowly but she didn't get a response the young woman turned away and walked across the lot to a pale blue car that was parked at the gas pump. Sookie watched as the girl moved and studied her features her nose was different and her hair was shorter and lighter but the young woman could have passed as Tara's twin, she shook her head and she realized her dreams had been getting the best of her Tara was dead and no matter how bad she wanted her friend to be part of her big day that wouldn't change.

Sookie grabbed a slice of pizza and a coke before she made her way to the dress shop, the woman behind the counter knew her by name thanks to her and Eric's wedding being the first vampire human wedding in Bon Temps. She tried the dress on and luckily she needed no alteration this time, the dress had been altered each time she tried it on due to the stress she had been under.

Since the beginning of the year Sookie had dropped two dress sizes and the only benefit was that it left her looking rather busty, the dress she picked out was a simple off the shoulder dress that fit her form well. The woman who helped her step into the dress gave her many compliments but the real test would be the look on Eric's face the day of the wedding, she looked at herself in the dress and her eyes filled with tears and she realized this was all real.

Sookie finished at the dress shop thanking the woman at the counter as she walked out the door and headed home, she would make it home just before Eric rose for the day and she hoped they could come to a compromise about Lafayette staying with them. She pulled into the driveway and watched the sun sink into the sky behind her, when Sookie got out of the car she looked around for Lafayette's car and when she didn't see it she figured he was at the bar already so he wouldn't hear her and Eric talking about his being here.

A package was sitting inside the door when she pulled it open so she picked it up and carried it in the house assuming it was something to do with the wedding, Sookie walked into the kitchen sitting the box on the counter while she waited for Eric to rise. There was a few more minutes before dusk and Sookie felt anxious about the argument they had the night before, she hoped he could get past his fear and see how good Lafayette being around has been for the her and the girls.

She hated fighting with him at all and it only made it worse knowing someone was out there trying to kill her, they were starting their new lives together soon and she wanted to enjoy this time with him. Sookie looked at the package and she notice there was no label or return address on it, she was pulling at the tape around the box when Eric walked in and kissed her on her cheek before turning and pulling a true blood out of the fridge. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked the back of his head.

Eric didn't answer as he put the blood in the microwave and heated it for thirty seconds "Eric are you really going to ignore me?" still he said nothing, he just swigged his blood staring at the package that sat on the counter, "what's that" he asked pointing at the box that sat half open. Sookie shrugged turning back to the box and pulling it the rest of the tape off

"Is it ticking?" Eric said joking

"Maybe it's a wedding present" she said turning to smile at him before she ripped the box open

"How did the dress" "Eric" she cut him off

"fitting go?" "ERIC" Sookie froze not taking her eyes off the box.


	14. Chapter 14

Sookie stood looking down at the package that had been left on their door step and she couldn't believe what she was seeing,

"How did the dress" "Eric" she cut him off

"Fitting go?" "ERIC" Sookie froze not taking her eyes off the box.

Eric had heard that tone in her voice before and he knew it was never followed by anything good, he rushed over to where she stood and looked down at the box inside was what looked like a homemade bomb. Eric grabbed the box and ran from the house Sookie tried to follow but as soon as he reached the back door he took off into the air, a few second later Sookie heard an explosion somewhere over her head and Eric landed in front of her unharmed.

"Was that what I think it was?" Sookie asked

Eric shook his head and caught her as her legs went out from under her as she fainted, Eric wasn't sure how much more she could really handle he knew she was a strong woman and he worried that even if things became too much she would never tell him. He carried Sookie back inside the house and laid her across the bed he sat with her waiting for her to wake when the strangest thing happened, Eric listened as she started having a conversation with Tara in her sleep.

He figured she was having dreams when he felt the tension through their bond while she slept but he had no clue she had been talking to dead people, he waited and listened as she tried to convince Tara that she was dead and he held her as she sobbed begging her to come back.

Sookie jumped out of bed feeling panicked she hated feeling like she had no control and right now she knew she had none, whoever wanted her dead wasn't going to stop they had burned down her house, chased her down in a car, shot her and now they tried to blow her up. She paced the floor unable to control her thought she mumbled through them trying to figure everything out, she looked through her head for that tiny detail that would tell her who was trying to kill her.

"Lafayette heard you last night he heard you say that when he came around everything stopped" Sookie's eyes grew wide and her body was shaking "or Tara I saw her I think I saw her that looked an awful lot like her" her eyes filled up with tears "or maybe its Bill or Alcide or even Arlene they could all be together" she wiped at her face trying to make the tears stop but it was no use "oh god maybe it was Terry he can use a gun."

Eric stood watching Sookie as she fell apart he knew this was coming the last year had been too much for her to handle, he listened to her ramble for a few more minutes accusing everyone she had ever met of trying to kill her and he just hoped that when she finished she could pull herself back together.

When the rambling stopped and Sookie just stood in the middle of the room crying Eric walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her stroking her head, he told her everything was alright and that he would keep her safe no matter what as her breathing slowed. Eric tucked her back in bed before he called Lafayette at the bar to tell him she wouldn't be in tonight, he listened for any sign that he might have known about the package that was left on the door step but he didn't hear any.

Sookie cried into her pillow while Eric held her she wanted the fear to go away to just be numb so she wouldn't have to feel unsafe everywhere she went, his arms wrapped around her and he hummed a song she didn't know but it made her eyes feel heavy and she welcomed the sleep.

Once Eric was sure he was asleep he left the room to make a few calls, the first one was to Pam asking her to come to the house after Fangtasia closed. The next call he made was to Lafayette letting him know he she stay clear of the house tonight he told him where he could find Sam's trailer and keys so he had a place to go for the night, finally he called Bill someone was trying to kill them and he was sure Bill had to know something about it.

Eric bit his tongue when he heard Bills voice he was certain Bill knew more than he was letting on he had always been a sneaky little worm and thing had only gotten worse when he was made king of Louisiana, He set up a meeting with Bill at dusk the next night and he hoped that Sookie would be well enough to handle it. Eric paced the floor repeating what Sookie had said over and over again trying to decipher what it meant, Tara she said she saw Tara he thought to himself and he wondered if maybe that was what Bill was hiding.

Could Tara be alive Eric knew it was possible but why would Bill let Sam kill Franklin if he hadn't lost it and killed Tara, Eric flipped his phone open again calling Lafayette only this time he told him to come straight to the house now. A few hours later Sookie sat up in bed and looked around the room, she wondered where Eric was and she pushed with her mind searching the house for his buzz.

When she found Eric in the other room she was shocked to find Lafayette with him but what disturbed her even more was what saw in his mind, he had seen the girl who looked like Tara her hair was lighter and the nose was a little different but she looked like her. Sookie was so distracted by what she had seen in Lafayette's mind she barely noticed the two other minds in the room; she walked from the bedroom slowly listening to the sound of Eric's voice.

"She said she thought it was Tara and you saw the same girl isn't it possible it could be?" he barked at Lafayette, Sookie stood in the doorway and everyone in the room froze waiting for her reaction. "What's going on now?" she said in a dull tone as she walked over to Eric sitting in his lap and wrapping her arms around him, Lafayette was the first to talk but as he tried to explain she cut him off "why didn't you tell me you saw Tara?"

Lafayette looked shocked "I wasn't Tara it was a girl who looked like Tara" he said holding his head in his hands "why would I tell you I saw someone who looked like her so I could like crazy?" Sookie accepted his answer after all it was the same reason she hadn't told anyone, she nuzzled into Eric's neck still feeling drained from her little mental breakdown.

Eric stroked her back and held her closer as he started to talk again, "Pam and Lafayette you need to find the girl who might be Tara before tomorrow night and bring her to Fangtasia" his voice was stern and Sookie looked up to see the two of them nod before they left the table, she clung to Eric as he carried her back to bed she wanted to know what the plan was but she couldn't seem to her mind to focus the way she needed it to.

He laid her back on the bed pulling her clothes off and throwing then in the corner before he crawled into bed with her, Sookie hadn't noticed Eric was naked until she felt the coolness of his flesh against hers causing chills to run through her. Her body ached for him and when he wrapped his arms around her pulling her close her breath stuck in her throat as she moaned his name, Eric wasn't expecting her reaction he just needed to feel close to her after watching her fall apart.

She reached for his hand running down her body pressing it in between her thighs letting him feel how much she wanted him, Sookie rolled on her side pressing her ass against him moving her hips in tiny circles begging for Eric to take her. She heard him a grunt and with one smooth motion she was filled with his manhood, Sookie bounced against him slowly wiggling her hips back and forth and when he couldn't take any more Eric grabbed her hips and pounded into her.

Eric loved how her body reacted each time he pushed himself deep inside of her the way her breast bounced and how she wiggled her hip he had thousands of lovers but none like her, he felt her pulsing around his hard cock and he knew she was close. He pushed deep inside and her mans filled the air he paused enjoying the throbbing of her wetness and kissing along her shoulder, he felt her shutter and her breathing slowed when he rolled her on top of him grabbing her ass and sliding her up and down his member slowly.

Sookie wanted to feel safe and loved and with Eric inside of her she knew she would, her body bounced and wiggled against him as their moans filled the air her eyes locked on his she lifted her body rocking at the tip of his manhood and she felt his body stiffen under her. Eric moaned thrusting upward trying to end the want to be deep inside of her, she giggled as he growled in frustration pulling her toward him and slamming her down in his manhood.

Her body started to shake as he ran his tongue over her nipple sucking it into his mouth and he felt her pulse around him as they came together. Eric held her close to him still inside of her as he kissed down her neck and across her chest, "aren't you hungry?" she asked wondering why he hadn't fed from her like he usually did. His eyes were wide when he looked at her "Sookie I don't need to feed from you every time we make love" Eric wasn't sure how to explain that he enjoyed sex with her without having to bite her.

Sookie thought back over their sex life and she couldn't remember a time he hadn't bit her during sex, she started to panic was he tired of her blood did he not find her attractive anymore her heart started to race and she couldn't catch her breath. Eric felt her anxiety flowing through their bond and he saw the panic on her face "Sookie I love you and I want to marry you and be with you forever" he watched her face soften and the anxiety lessened "if you want I can bite you right now" he said smiling at her.

Eric held her until dawn when he crept out of the room not wanting to wake her, Sookie had seemed to be a little more like herself before she had fallen asleep last night and he hoped that with a little more rest she would have a clearer head. They had a big night coming and he needed her telepathy intact so they can find out who has been trying to kill her, Bill was a different story he had to approach him carefully because he was his king but he knew Sookie would be able to speak her mind and maybe catch him off guard.

Sookie woke up early the next morning feeling physically refreshed but her mind was another story, she had her coffee and showered before she jumped in the car and headed for Jason's to pick up the girls. She drove past her childhood home on Humming Bird road on her way to Jason's and she couldn't wait to move in after the wedding, Eric had made her promise not to go to the house until they got back from their honeymoon and she reluctantly agreed .

The girls were sitting on the porch with Clair when Sookie pulled up the look on Clair's face told her something was really wrong, she jumped from the car and rushed up the porch stopping in front of Clair who had her fists clenched and her eyes closed. "Clair are you ok?" Sookie waited for her to respond and when she noticed Clair's shallow breathing she realized the baby was coming "Jason, Jason" Sookie ran through the house screaming for the father to be.

Jason was nowhere in sight so she made her way back to Clair and the girls "where's Uncle Jason?" she asked the girls "he working momma" Sara said looking up at her, Sookie didn't know the first thing about labor but she was pretty sure it was supposed to happen in a hospital so she gather Clair and the girls and moved as fast as possible to the car.


	15. Chapter 15

Sookie drove as fast as she could to the hospital she had left Jason four messages since the left the house and she hoped he had gotten them, she looked over at Clair who was sitting completely quiet in the passenger seat and she wondered if she could be so calm knowing she was about to give birth without Eric. She stared at Clair watching for any sign that she was in pain and just as Sookie thought how strong her sister in law was an odd screech shot from Clair's mouth and the floor board filled with water.

She panicked pressing down on the gas harder doing well over the speed limit, Sookie was relieved when she saw Jason standing near the emergency entrance jumping up and down waving at her. She pulled up to him quickly and he took over from there carrying Clair through the automatic where he would become a daddy, Sookie drove around for several minutes looking for a parking space and she paid no mind to the blue Sedan that followed her doing the same.

Her and the girls made their way to the main entrance of the hospital as she prepared the girls to see their new cousin when she noticed the blue Sedan pulling slowly past them, it was her the woman who look like Tara the one who could be Tara for all she knew. She would have thought it was a coincidence if a tear hadn't fallen from the woman's eye when she looked over at the girls, Sookie didn't want to draw the girl's attention to the woman or she would have run out in front of the vehicle and gotten some answers.

She knew she could have reached out with her mind and gotten the answers she needed but if it was Tara and she was trying to kill her there was no way to know how she would react to that information after her nervous breakdown yesterday. Instead Sookie memorized the license plate number and continued to walk as quickly as possible through the hospital doors, Sookie and the girls sat in a tiny waiting room anxious to meet the new addition to their family and she couldn't help but think that just a year ago it had been only her and Jason left and now they were rebuilding the Stackhouse family together.

An hour later Jason emerged dressed in blue scrubs and screaming about his son, the two of them hugged both wishing their Gran had been alive at that moment. They made their way back to meet little J.J also known as Jason JR. Sookie held the tiny baby in her arms and she couldn't believe how much he looked like his father and she wondered if she and Eric had a child who would it look like, it was clear to her that there was no possible way their child would be able to have Eric's DNA so she wondered for the first time since they had been together who would father their child.

Night started to fall and the baby had tired of all the cooing and hugging the girls had forced on him so they made their way out of the hospital giving kisses and congratulations before they went, the girls raced each other to the while Sookie dragged her feet thinking about how wonderful the day had been. When Sookie noticed the blue sedan slowly driving along the next row of cars she ran for the girl scooping them into her arms and shoving them into the car before turning to look for Tara's twin when a gray haired woman pulled up beside them in the blue Sedan asking if everything was ok.

Sookie's could feel her heart pounding out of her chest as she told the elderly woman they were fine, she hated to lie she wanted to scream out that someone was trying to kill here and that someone might be the mother of the two girl she had been raising with their father before was killed and now they lived with their uncle who could possibly be out to kill her too.

She laid her head on the steering wheel trying to slow her breathing before she started the car, when she managed to calm herself she drove home slowly watching for anyone to be following her. Her eyes played tricks on her and she thought she might have seen the blue car and a couple of times she thought she saw the girl walking on the side of the road, Each time she was wrong and she started to wonder if she made it through this alive would she be sane.

They pulled up in front of the house a little after dusk and Sookie wasn't shocked to see Eric waiting in the front yard, the girls jumped out and ran to him covering him with kisses and telling him about Jason's baby while she sat in the car wishing she could take her hands off the steering wheel. Eric sent the girls inside and he stood staring at her he knew she wasn't ok and he knew it would have been a mistake to ask so he just stood there waiting for her to let him know what to do.

After a few minutes her hand reached over and patted the passenger seat welcoming him into the car, he sat down slowly and he heard he mumbling 717-A62 "Sookie what are you doing?" he said slowly hoping not to startle her "Eric her license plate number 717-A62." He looked confused and he didn't have a chance to ask "she showed up at the hospital she looked at them and cried fucking cried it has to be Tara" Sookie rambled for several more minutes while Eric flipped his phone open.

"Any luck finding her yet?" he snapped into the phone, Sookie couldn't hear his reply not only was she distracted but whoever was talking on the other line was mumbling their words. "When he done there both of you report to my house so you can fill us in" and he snapped his phone shut and stared out the window into the darkness, A few minutes later the girls came running from the house asking what's for dinner snapping Sookie back to earth.

She cooked the easiest supper she could think of hot dogs and mac and cheese and when they were done she bathed them and Eric put them to bed like he did most nights. Sookie had barley sat down on the sofa when there was a knock at the door, normally she would have answered it with a smile and welcomed who eve her guest was but lately she doesn't trust her judgment.

Eric walked from the girls room and he could see the tension in her body "its Pam and Lafayette" he announced walking to the door and opening it. Sookie walked into the kitchen and pulled out a coke and bottle of blood like any good host would while everyone stood quietly watching her, she sat their drinks on the table and turned to look at Lafayette "It's Tara isn't it. "

Lafayette looked at her a little shocked by her words he shook his head and put his hands on hers, "Sookie Tara's dead girl and she aint comin back" he paused taking a breath before he went on with what he found out. "What were dealin wit here is some phsyco shit," Lafayette proceeded to tell Sookie about a phone call he had gotten from Hadi May Peirce who was Tara's mother if you could call her that.

Hadi May had spent most of Tara's life drinking and abusing her daughter and thanks to Tara's father leaving before she was old enough to know his name she was stuck with Hadi, so Tara made due and of course Sookie's gran helped keep her safe but with a mother like Hadi her life was hard. Well Hadi had called Lafayette asking him to come over earlier that night and of course he said no but when she told him Tara's father was there and he needed to talk to him he had to go.

Lafayette pulled up in front of Hadi trailer and he couldn't help but notice the fancy Cadillac he pulled up beside, Hadi opened the door standing next to a tall slender man who was the male version of his cousin. "Tarance nice to meet you" the man said holing out his hand; Lafayette looked him up and down refusing to shake the hand of the man who had left his cousin in the care of Hadi May.

"What is this about I don't have all night" Lafayette leaned his body against the door jamb waiting for someone to reply, Tarance sat back on the sofa running his hands through his hair before he spoke "I'm sorry to hear about Tara I know you were close." Hadi scooted closer to Tarance laying her head on his arm hoping for some attention but he ignored her as he spoke, "when I left Bon Temps I remarried a few years later and we had three kids two boys and a girl, my sons died in a car accident in their teens leaving just our daughter Dahlia."

Tarance stopped talking long enough to look up at Lafayette and make sure he was listening "when my sons died it took its toll on my wife and she wrapped herself in our daughter giving her every luxury and freedom, unfortunately that wasn't enough. My wife killed herself on the six year anniversary of the boy's deaths and her death caused something to snap in Dahlia, she would hurt other children for no reason and even abuse herself.

I walked in one day and caught her holding a neighbor girl down and cutting off her hair I had no choice but to put her away." Tarance looked down at his feet and a tear feel from his eye "I never told Dahlia she had a sister but unfortunately I was visiting her the day Hadi called me and told me Tara had died, I had always hoped I could make it up to Tara one day for leaving I did I really did" Tarance started to sob.

"When Dahlia found out why I was so upset she didn't react and I thought maybe she was dealing with the news well but that was before I had gotten a call from the mental hospital she was living in, Dahlia escaped a couple of months ago and even thought the police have been trying to track her they can't find anything telling us were she is". Lafayette stood against the door his mind fully blown by all the info he had just taken in when a light bulb went off, "do you have a picture of Dahlia?"

Tarance pulled his wallet out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open to a photo of him and a tall slender female who look just like Tara her nose a little different and her hair a little lighter but just like Tara. "She's here and we think she has been trying to kill Tara's best friend for months", Tarance jumped up "where is she did they hurt her." Lafayette lost it "did you fuckin here me she tried to kill them not the other way around" Tarance looked confused "What" Lafayette yelled at the man.

"They who is they?" Tarance said in a calm tone "they are my nieces and Sookie" Hadi jumped up from the couch standing by the door and lighting a cigarette, "YOU DIDN'T TELL HIM ABOUT THE GIRL?" he screamed at her before turning and filling Tarance in "Sookie she is a phsyco he told me she killed two nurses and a guard just to get out we need to be very careful.

Just as Lafayette finished talking there was a smash in the living room and Eric was the first to move toward it, when he returned he held a brick painted covered by a piece of paper.

The note read,

I will kill you Bitch one day that vamp won't be with you and I will cut your life short you are a vampire whore

p.s you're the BOMB


	16. Chapter 16

Sookie thought it would make her feel better knowing who was after her but knowing the person was a phsyco, now that she knew who was after her it left her with tons of questions and no answers. She laid her head on the table and ran through her list of unanswered questions; did Tara know she had a sister? Why is the after her? Sookie hadn't done anything to Tara or her family she even took in the girls and was raising them as best as she could, she was so deep in thought she didn't notice Eric walk in the room "Sookie are you ok?"

His voice made her jump "we can't stay here" she said standing and wrapping her arms around him, Eric knew she was right it was clear Dahlia wasn't going to give up until she killed Sookie and there was no way he could let that happen. Eric called it a safe house but it was a condo he kept a few miles from Shreveport the lease was in someone else's name so there was no paper trail leading back to him, he assured Sookie that with the security at the front desk her and the girls would be completely safe before she agreed to go.

They packed up the girls quickly taking only a what they needed for a few days Eric kept telling her everything would be over soon now that they knew who was responsible but Sookie had a hard time believing him, She didn't sleep that night instead she paced the floor looking out every window at least thirty times wondering if there was a way Dahlia could now where they were. There was no way to tell how long this woman had been following them, how much she knew about them one thing was sure she had tried to kill them more than once.

Sookie and Eric hadn't said much to each other for most of the night and he was trying his best to give her space, knowing how fragile she had been lately he didn't want to push her over the edge her breakdown had scared him enough. Eric was sitting quietly in the bedroom of the small house when Sookie walked in still pacing the floor, "Sookie we are safe here" he said trying to calm her down.

"Eric we are never safe and just when we think we are something goes incredible wrong" he knew she was right the attempts on her life always came just when they started to relax and settle back into their normal lives. Eric hadn't told anyone where they were going not even Lafayette or Jason he knew that if Dahlia really wanted to get to Sookie she would go through them to find her, Sookie flopped down on the bed and Eric followed stroking her neck and her shoulder as she drifted off to sleep.

The sun would be coming up soon and he would have to leave her for the day but he knew her and the girls would be safe here, Eric called down to the front desk and alerted security not to allow anyone to come up to their floor. Luckily they were the penthouse condo so they could shut down the elevator from coming to that floor, the condo was fully stocked with food and there were plenty of movies and games to keep the girls busy while Sookie rested.

Sookie woke up the next morning to the sound of the girls arguing in the living room Sara was a poor sport when it came to losing and it sounded like she was losing pretty bad by the sounds that were filling the air, Sookie stomped out into the living room and the girls went silent "what's going on in here?" Sookie said with her hand on her hip. The girls both rambled on tattling on each other until Sookie raised her hand cutting off their words "no fighting for any reason" she said flatly and walked off to the kitchen to find coffee.

She listened as she went to the kitchen and felt relieved that they didn't put up a fight, she had her fill of drama from the night before and today she planned on sitting around and trying to relax, she chugged her first cup of coffee and poured another before she went back into the living room to find the girls quietly playing another game.

She grabbed the remote control and sat on the sofa where she spent most of the day flipping through channels, the day passed quickly and it was pretty much uneventful her and the girls played games and watched a movie and she was cooking dinner when Eric walked. His hair was a mess and his shorts hung from his waist in that on so sexy way that drove her crazy and Sookie realized they hadn't had a lot of alone time lately, Eric noticed her looking and he stopped stretching his arms above his head showing off his toned body for her.

The girls stormed in the room complaining they were hungry breaking the sexual tension that was building in the room, after dinner Sookie bathed the girls and Eric read them a story and put them to bed. She was sitting on the sofa looking out the window watching the rain fall when a flash of light cut through the window, Storms had always made her feel uneasy ever since she was a small child and her parents had been killed in a storm. Sookie moved further away from the window anticipating more lightning but it didn't come, Eric appeared in the living room and pulled her up from the couch wrapping his arms around her and covering her neck in kisses.

Sookie was distracted from the storm by Eric's assault on her body his kisses covered her body as he pulled her to the floor, he pulled her clothes from her body slowly running his hands down her body when Sookie jumped at another flash of light through the window. She looked at Eric with a questioning look on her face she waited to hear the thunder that usually followed a bolt of lightning but all she heard was the patter of soft rain falling on the window, "what is that light?"

Eric stood walking to the window and looking out through the rain to find the source of the light when his phone rang making both of them jump, Eric flipped his phone open "Northman" there was a long uncomfortable pause as Sookie watched his face change into stone. He flipped his phone closed and pulled the curtain closed along the living room window before he walked over gathering Sookie's clothes from the floor and handing them to her, she didn't have to wait for him to say anything she threw her clothes on and sat back on the sofa "she found us?"

Eric disappeared into the small bedroom down the hall and reappeared holding the two sleeping girls in his arms, he nodded his head toward the light tight room where he rested in the day and Sookie followed. This room had no windows so the only way in or out would be the door in the hall that he locked behind them as they left the room, the look on his face told her he would protect her and the girls with everything in him but it also told her that he was afraid of what Dahlia might be capable of.

A few minutes later the buzzer by the door went off and Sookie felt panic run through her body "Eric" she whimpered as he walked toward the door "Sookie its fine she can't get up here" Eric walked over to the door and pressed a tiny lighted button as he spoke. "Penthouse what's the problem?" he said in a flat tone "there is a Mrs. Pamela is here to speak with you" Eric shook his head he knew Pam had been following Dahlia and if she was here that meant Dahlia was close by "Escort her and only her up."

Pam knocked at the door and Eric pulled it open jumping right into the questions "where is she?"

"The building across the street in the penthouse" "How long?"

Pam sighed she had only been up for a few hours and when she woke there was a message from Lafayette on her phone saying he found her and he was following her to a huge hotel just outside of Shreveport, when she tried to get in touch with Lafayette she couldn't he had been missing all evening. She followed his sent to the building across the street and it wasn't until she got close that she sensed Eric and came here instead, she didn't want to tell Sookie Lafayette might be in trouble she was naturally a cold person but Pam had actually started to care for Sookie and the girls.

She looked at up at Eric "all day" his anger took over as he picked up the lamp closest to him and hurled it against the wall, "Where is Lafayette? He was supposed to be following her" Pam's eyes dropped to the floor and Sookie felt her heart start to race "no no no no" she bellowed as her knees hit the floor. Pam rushed to her side and pushed the hair back from Sookie's face " I don't know if he's hurt I just can't get ahold of him" she whispered trying to sooth the fragile human Sookie had become, "who if he who called you then?" Sookie asked looking up at Eric through her tears.

Eric walked over to the window and looked through the curtains while he spoke "it was her"

"What do you mean it was her how did she get your number? What did she say?" Sookie stood walking over and grabbing his arm she wanted answers not only her life was in danger but the girls and her only friend she had left might be dead now was not the time to sugar coat things. "Damn it Eric what's going on?" she had had enough "Sookie she came to me when she first came to town, she wanted me to kill Franklin and I sent her to Bill she knows who I am and I think she was why Bill hired Sam."

Sookie looked up at Eric her eyes full of hot tears she started to scream and pound on his chest "how could you lie, how could you not tell me this from the begging, how could you?" Sookie stormed out of the room she needed to calm down she needed to keep her head clear and get her emotions under control, Eric knew he was wrong for lying and he felt her pain as she walked away from him but he could tell now was not the time to follow her and explain.

Pam called Lafayette's phone again only this time his voice mail message was different she handed the phone to Eric quickly and he listened, 'You have reached Lafayette's phone he can't talk right now he's busy screaming in pain please leave a message' it was clear now why he hadn't answered his phone Dahlia must have caught him following her and taken him hostage or worse killed him. Eric flipped the phone shut and smashed it against the wall before he headed into the bedroom where Sookie had stormed off to, he pushed open the door and called out her name but she didn't answer.

Eric walked further into the room searching for her and calling her name she was nowhere in sight he rushed down the hall opening the doors and calling for her as he went but still nothing, Eric ran back to the room he had seen her walk into it wasn't until he noticed the open window and the rain pouring in that he realized she was gone.


	17. Chapter 17

Sookie snuck down the back stairs of the penthouse apartment, it had taken her about twenty minutes to figure out the digital code on the doors lock but she did just before she heard Eric calling her name. She ran down the stairs moving her legs faster than she thought possible stopping just before she reach the exit to the lobby, she plastered her best smile on her face and walked slowly across the lobby to the main door to the building.

Eric felt panicked as he paced the floor he could feel the determination pouring through their bond and he knew this would turn out badly, he took a deep breath and flipped his phone open dialing her number. The phone rang twice which told him she did have her phone on her she was just refusing to talk to him, "Sookie don't do this please call me lover" he flipped his phone shut and slammed it down on the coffee table.

There was no way for him to take back his lies and he knew that was what she was reacting to, Eric knew he should have told her months ago when Dahlia showed up at the bar he should have given her every detail but there was no way to know the girl was a phsyco. Dahlia seemed as normal as any other human when she came to him asking for help with Tara's murderer, Eric sent her to Bill hoping the whole mess would be done with by now but he couldn't have been more wrong.

Sookie rushed across the street dogging the oncoming traffic, her heart raced and she almost turned around and went back to Eric with her tail tucked between her legs but she knew she had to stop running. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Eric wasn't following her and hoped he wouldn't leave the girls with Pam; Sookie dialed Lafayette's number again before she walked into the abandoned building where she hoped she would find him.

The building was dark thick sheets of plastic covered the holes where windows should be stopping the lights from the street from filling the rooms as she walked through them, Sookie dialed her friends number over and over hoping it would give her some warning as to where he was being held but she heard nothing as she walked through the pitch black rooms stumbling over various tools and construction supplies.

She found a door and with the light form her phone she could read the sign beside it that told her she was headed for the stairs, she had no idea where she was going or what floor to she would get off at but she reached out with her sixth sense as she walked up each flight of stair hoping to the mental rants of a killer or her best friends pleas for help. Sookie walked up several flights of stairs hearing nothing but the sound of her heart racing when a scream filled the air around her making her body go stiff, she ran up the two flights of stair reaching the rear entrance to the penthouse.

Lafayette screamed again the pain in his voice making her stomach turn, she had no idea what she was going to do when she walked through the door and came face to face with the person who had turned her life upside down. Sookie turned door knob and slowly pushed the door open praying it wouldn't make a sound but it did the door whined as she pushed it making her pause and wait for a reaction, she searched with her mind listening for any sign of Dahlia.

Eric could feel her tension running through his body and he knew where she was headed, she had never listened to him before but he hoped this time would be different, Pam was angry being left behind to babysit the girls she hated missing all the action. The street was buzzing with traffic the cars looking like ants piddling below him as he hovered above the vacant building waiting for the perfect time to spring into action.

He knew how big of a mistake he had made by lying to Sookie about Dahlia and he hoped she could forgive him they had finally gotten past all her fears and going back and forth, the wedding was in four weeks they had planned every detail carefully but know he wondered if they would still be married. He watched through the plastic covered opening as Dahlia pushed the nail gun against Lafayette's had and pulled the trigger pinning his only free limb to the wooden chair under him, his screams filled the room and Eric felt Sookie's panic boiling over.

Dahlia moved slowly whispering to herself as she passed the room holding the nail gun at her side, she to Lafayette again glaring at him "w wa what were you thinking the vampires killed Tara and you sit by while our family is being kept by one now I have to save them I do" Lafayette didn't answer her instead he kept his eyes down and kept completely still. Pleading with her had done him no good this far he begged her to let him go he even offered to help her save the girls but instead he ended up nailed to a chair while the phsyco bitch talked to herself.

"My plan I need a plan I will no, what about no, think Dahlia think geesh" Tara's look alike pounded her hand against her head willing a plan to come to her but all she could see was red lights flashing behind her eyelids. She lowered her body to the floor beside Lafayette laying her head on his lap before she started to cry, her tears stung the wounds on his leg but he didn't dare move away he had made that mistake already when she tried to hug him and he ended up nailed to a chair.

Lafayette tried not to jump when he heard the door open behind them hoping Dahlia wouldn't hear it through her sobbing, he waited listening carefully for what was coming it didn't matter who it was bad or good as long as it would end Dahlia.

Sookie couldn't see clearly in the darkened room but she could see the candles light that surrounded Lafayette and Dahlia she could hear the crazy woman sobbing but didn't know where she was, she knew she needed a plan before she stormed into the room trying to play hero. Everything from sneaking past Eric and heading across the street had been pure adrenaline but she knew from past experience that if she didn't think things through she wouldn't make it out of the building.

She forced her eyes to adjust to the darkness as much as they could and she looked around for a weapon, a few boards leaned against a wall a few feet away and she thought she could see the handle of a hammer sticking out from between them. Sookie thought that was it she would grab the hammer and sneak up on Dahlia and give her a few whacks to the head and end this mess, she took a few tiny steps past the door way moving toward the safety of the wall propping up the boards.

Eric hovered just outside the window watching the freak show that was unfolding in the room Dahlia cried uncontrollably in Lafayette's lap while mumbling random sentences about vampires and saving the girls from Sookie, Eric cringed as she spoke knowing Sookie had been right in the beginning everything that had happened was because she was with him. He had protected her and the girls from everything he could and he would do the same now, he moved closer to the plastic tugging the corner of it open.

Dahlia was distracted with her fit so she didn't see him sneak through the tiny opening into the darkness of the room; he moved slowly not making a sound as he positioned himself behind her waiting for her to move away from Lafayette. He watched her sob for several minutes before she stood giving him the perfect opportunity to pounce on her and end her life, Eric moved slow enjoying the hunt was something he hadn't done in years and he wanted to enjoy killing Dahlia.

He stood just a step away from her when he felt a sharp pain tear through his body followed by a crash as he fell through the floor, Eric landed in a pile of splintering wood a floor below his target. Distracted by the thrill of ending Dahlia Eric didn't see the trap that was right in front of him, Eric moved closer to Dahlia not seeing the thin wire that circled her and Lafayette. His steps broke the wire sending several sharpened wooden boards flying into his back and dropping him through the floor, he should have known a paranoid head case like Dahlia wood be expecting a vampire attack.

Sookie reached down grabbing the hammer before she moved closer to Dahlia and Lafayette, the candle light in the darkness was playing tricks on her eyes and she could have sworn she saw Eric hovering behind Dahlia ready to attack her. She moved closer and closer careful not to make a sound when something by her head snapped and sent pieces of wood flying through the air into the shadows, Sookie panicked as she watched the wood land in Eric's back sending him into a hole that opened up in the floor.

She muffled a scream as she watched the horror unfold in front of her; she wanted to run to him to make sure he hadn't met his true death to help him. A loud groan from under the floor boards told her he was alive hurt badly but alive, she watched as Dahlia stood over the whole gloating and laughing at him and her want to kill the crazy bitch intensified.

Dahlia danced around the whole in the floor taunting Eric and kicking bits of woods down on him, it was just the distraction Sookie needed. She moved closer and closer raising the hammer over her head ready to attack the second she turned her back, she stepped closer and closer standing just out of the light when it happened Dahlia turned to face Lafayette and Sookie jumped.

Her hand came down aiming the claws of the hammer at the back of Dahlia's head and hitting her mark, a gushy thud filled the air as she watched the crazed woman's body slump to the floor blood pouring from her head. Sookie rushed to Lafayette's side looking for a way to free him from the wooden chair, she clumsily pulled at the nails with her hands as Lafayette screamed at the pain.

Sookie covered her ears with her hands trying to block out the sounds of his pain so she could think, she looked down at Dahlia whose foot was twitching slightly and she pulled the hammer from the back of her head and turned back to Lafayette's worried face. She used the hammer to pull the nails from his feet and hands quickly sparing him as much pain as she could, the pain was intense and he was losing a lot of blood so she knew she had to move fast.

She pulled his heavy limp body from the chair and slid him into the darkness behind the wall before she headed for the stair to help Eric, Sookie rushed down the stairs two at a time keeping a steady pace hoping he was strong enough to help her get Lafayette out of the building and finish off Dahlia.

Eric groaned as he looked down at his chest and saw the stake sticking out of his chest just below his heart; he wanted to pull it out but the wood splinters in his hands kept him from being able to do anything he would have like to do. Eric lie there listening to the sounds of Sookie busting open Dahlia's head and then freeing Lafayette and he hoped she would get to him soon, the pain from the wood in his body was tremendous since he hadn't fed in days and wood was the only substance that wouldn't leave his body on its own.

He could hear her running down the stairs and beating at the door behind him but he didn't have the strength to move or call out to her, Eric's wounds were worse than he expected and his blood was flowing from his body faster than he had hoped. He wondered even if Sookie did get to him would he be strong enough to save them, his plan was simple enough fly through the window kill the witch and save the day but he couldn't have been more wrong.


	18. Chapter 18

He could hear her running down the stairs and beating at the door behind him but he didn't have the strength to move or call out to her, Eric's wounds were worse than he expected and his blood was flowing from his body faster than he had hoped. He wondered even if Sookie did get to him would he be strong enough to save them, his plan was simple enough fly through the window kill the witch and save the day but he couldn't have been more wrong.

Sookie beat at the door for several minutes before it finally flew open she ran through the rooms searching in the dark for the hole where Eric fell through, finally she could see the candle light flickering through the hole in the ceiling and she carefully made her way to the space below it. She had to throw her hand over her mouth to stop the screams that threatened to fly out but she managed to calm herself and assess the situation, so a bat shit crazy woman was probably waking up even more angry than she was before she waked her with a hammer.

Her best friend laid up stairs bleeding with holes in his body that she was forced to pull nails from and last her vampire boyfriend was lying in a pile of wood with a stake in his chest that just missed his heart. Sookie pulled herself out of her head and moved to Eric's side "this is going to hurt" she said kissing his lips before she wrapped her fingers around the stake and pulled.

Luckily the wood came out clean not leaving any splinters behind that could cause more problems later, Eric didn't scream but the blood running from his eyes told her he felt every inch of the stake as she pulled it from his chest. Sookie moved quickly yanking the smaller pieces of wood much faster but Eric was still healing to slow he needed to eat, she held her wrist out to him and closed her eyes as he sank his teeth into her flesh and just as he started to drink a voice echoed through the hole in the ceiling.

"Will you ever learn stupid vamp whore" Dahlia was awake and she seemed even more angry with Sookie not that she saw her helping Eric, they watched her move out of the candle light above them and they knew she was coming for them. Eric pulled his fangs from her and licked her wound closed he was not fully healed yet but it would have to do he couldn't have the both of them weak, Sookie looked around for a weapon and found a long medal pole in the corner of the room she grabbed the pipe and hid behind the door to the room.

She stood waiting for Dahlia to walk in so she could finish what she couldn't earlier, she had killed before to safe her own ass and she had no issues with doing it again. Sookie looked over her shoulder and watched Eric push himself from the floor and pull the last of the small splinters from his arms before he moved further into the shadows, she heard the knob turn and she raised the pole above her head ready to swing one good whack to the head and Eric should be able to do the rest she told herself.

The door opened slightly and Sookie started to swing until she heard the gurgles of her friend Lafayette as she pushed him through the door, Dahlia hid behind Lafayette's tortured bloody body and Sookie almost didn't see the gun she was holding to his head. Her plan changed quickly she waited for the two of them to fully entered the room before she made her presence known "why are you doing this" she said staying hidden deep in the shadows of the room.

Dahlia jumped pushing the gun into Lafayette's side causing him to scream out in pain "where are you vampire whore?" The tone in her voice told them she was scared "why are you trying to kill me?" Sookie kept her voice level not wanting to show her own fear, Dahlia moved further into the room pushing her back against a wall and pulling Lafayette close in front of her "you took my sister and then you got her killed by your vampire friend bitch."

Sookie flinched at her words she had never said it out loud but she had always felt guilty for introducing Tara to the vampire world, maybe if she hadn't fought so hard to prove you could love a vampire Tara wouldn't have went looking for trouble. "Franklin was no friend of mine he was a phsyco vampire and Tara was the one with him not me" she tried sound stern but her voice broke she hated saying anything bad about the dead, Sookie moved closer to Lafayette trying to let him know she had a plan.

"Dahlia why are you here we have never heard from you before why now?" Dahlia laughed shoving Lafayette to the ground and kicking him "I know you I know all about little perfect Sookie" the room was quiet Sookie didn't ask why she could tell she had hit a nerve and she didn't want her to do anything rash to Lafayette. "I came here when I was fifteen I wanted to know my sister my blood I wanted to be a family but no I was sent away because of you," Sookie thought back to that time and she didn't remember Tara ever saying anything about a sister and they told each other everything.

"I told her I wanted to get to know her but she shunned me she didn't want any part of our father including me and when I told her we were sisters do you know what she told me huh do you?" Dahlia paced the floor as if she was reliving the moment in her sick and twisted little mind, Sookie could see Eric standing in the darkness a few feet behind the demented Dahlia waiting for her to give him a sign telling him to attack.

Lafayette's face twisted in pain as he locked eyes with Sookie and she could read his mind loud and clear he wanted them to kill her and get this night over with already, "What does all this have to do with me and the girls?" Sookie whispered hoping she would finish her rant and she could get some answers, "you are the reason she didn't want me around, I have a family the Stackhouse's are my family and I have a sister her name is Sookie that was all she said before she turn her back on me."

Dahlia started to whimper as she went on "I could have loved her I could have been a good sister a better one than a vampire loving whore," Eric stepped closer eager to rip her head from her shoulders but Sookie hadn't gotten all the answers she wanted yet so she shook her head no knowing he could see her in the darkness of the room. "So you're going to kill me because Tara didn't want to be your sister" her voice carried her irritation in it, "you bitch I wanted to kill your for the same reason I killed Sam."

Sookie's chin hit the floor she had known Sam was killed by the same person who had been trying to kill her, She started to nod at Eric and give him the ok to rip her head off when Dahlia fire her gun three times into the empty darkness between her and Eric hoping to hit one of them. The loud popping sound echoed through the building hurting her ears and making her jump in her skin almost giving away her hiding place, "you and Sam belonged together I tried to talk some sense into they are my family not yours but when he told me it was too late that the vampire had him sign the girls over to you I knew he was weak."

A lump formed in Sookie's throat she knew Dahlia killed Sam but to know he died because he signed the girls over to her made her chest hurt, "Eric and I would never hurt the girls we love them" Sookie tried to plead with her hoping she didn't have to let Eric rip the crazy bitches throat out but she knew better things had gone too far by now for Eric to just walk away. "You're not their family" Dahlia screamed running in Sookie's direction holding the gun out in front of her, "I shot Sam and watched him bleed out all over the floor of that dirty ass trailer he didn't beg to live like I wanted him to but this time I will make sure you do."

Dahlia leaped forward and Sookie's body stiffened she was sure the crazed woman was pouncing toward her but when her body missed by more than three feet she knew it was just wishful thinking that sent her in that direction. "Where are you" she screamed but Sookie stood still and absolutely quiet, "you know saw him kill her and he did nothing he had been watching her for months" Sookie looked across the room and met Eric's eyes who was watching and she felt her stomach start to ache as her mind wondered through the list of people close to her and Tara that could be responsible.

"When he came and told me she was dead and he watched her die I wanted to kill him but when he told me he did for me so I could have a family again I let him go, we were supposed to raise the girls together as a family but you just wouldn't die." Sookie panicked she didn't fully believe a lot of what came out of Dahlia's mouth but now things were changing was she telling them that she wasn't working alone, Sookie's head jerked toward the plastic covered window and he knew what she wanted him to do.

It was time to move Sookie needed to get to the girls now, Dahlia continued to rant about how she would have raised the girls and how vampires ruin everything when her words cut short. Eric's hands wrapped tightly around her neck he shook her body violently causing her to drop the gun his head arched back preparing to bite her when Sookie stepped out of the shadows yelling for him to stop. "We might need her get to the girls now" she yelled at him "Eric turned to stare at her not fully understanding what she was talking about but he knew by that she had good instincts.

Eric pulled Lafayette over his shoulder while still holding Dahlia by the throat and he made his way out the window and across the street while Sookie hiked down the stairs and out of the building. Eric flew onto the balcony a floor below the penthouse, he knew it would be vacant it always has been part of his escape route since he had the penthouse apartment sealed off when he bought it. He moved fast cutting through the empty apartment to the back stairs and typing in the key code, a few seconds later he was heading for the locked room check on the girls.

Eric pulled the pushed the door open to find two empty beds where the girls were supposed to be, he panicked searched the room still holding Dahlia by the throat he "where are they?" He shook her knocking the air out of her body and she passed out, he made his way through the hall where he had laid Lafayette when he came in and went to search the rest of the apartment. Halfway into the living he noticed the body of his progeny Pam lying by the front door, Eric knew she wasn't dead he would have felt that he rushed to her side stopping short when he heard Sara whimper.


	19. Chapter 19

Eric pushed the door open to find two empty beds where the girls were supposed to be, he panicked searched the room still holding Dahlia by the throat he "where are they?" He shook her knocking the air out of her body making her pass out, he made his way through the hall where he had laid Lafayette when he came in and went to search the rest of the apartment. Halfway into the living he noticed the body of his progeny Pam lying by the front door, Eric knew she wasn't dead he would have felt that he rushed to her side stopping short when he heard Sara whimper.

He turned from Pam's body and faced the couch that sat in the middle of the room; his anger boiled over there was Tarance holding both of the girls in his lap as they cried "they look like Tara when she was younger" he said smiling at down at them . Eric moved closer to the girls "are you ok?" he asked in a soft fatherly voice Sara shook her head yes trying to show how strong she was like always but her tears told him she was scared of the strange man who was holding them.

"It's nice to finally meet you Mr. Northman but if you don't mind could you put my daughter down now" Tarance seemed calm and cool about the situation complete opposite of the crazed unconscious Dahlia Eric was still holding by her throat. He moved closer to the sofa tossing Dahlia's limp body in the far corner away from the girls, in his mind he was planning his next move but there was no way to get to Tarance without putting the girls in harms.

Standing at the end of the sofa Eric realized how much he hated not being in control, a few years ago he would have taken the chance as long as it meant the threat was dead he wouldn't have cared if anyone else got hurt but he loved Sookie and the girls they were his family. There was movement in the hall as Lafayette pulled himself into the room looking around "oh damn are you serious what's this mother fucka doing here" he yelled as he crawled around the sofa, "awe nephew aren't you glad to see me again?"

Tarance stroked Samantha's head softly but she flinched under his hand making him angry, his face turned red and he started to shake violently. His voice came out in long shrills as he blamed Eric for the girls fearing him "you tricked them with your eyes didn't you and made them hate their own blood so they would love you!" Eric watched his every movement hoping he would slip up and allow an opening so he could rip his throat out but Tarance knew better he held onto the girl keeping them close like a shield.

Sookie made it across the street and into the building where the girls were, all she could think of was getting to them and making sure they were safe but as she headed for the elevator she was stopped by a security guard who insisted to see her ID due to a security break earlier in the night. Sookie hoped it was her breaking out of the building earlier tonight and not someone else breaking in that caused the security breach.

She tried to explain who she was and how she had forgotten her purse when she left in a hurry earlier that night but the man refused to listen and started threatening to escort her from the building, Sookie walked to the front desk and asked the clerk to call up to the room and panicked when the man told her he wasn't getting an answer. Her heart sank to her feet she had to find a way to get up to the girls, Sookie walked over the desk again this time stroking the man's shoulder as she spoke.

"I really need to get to the penthouse is there any way I can get in without security knowing?" the young clerk smiled at her and started to blush when Sookie held her hand on his shoulder stroking it with her thumb, it took a minute but she saw the answer in his mind. The back stairs he thought someone kicked in the door and they were waiting for a repair man, her stomach flipped she hadn't kicked in any doors that meant someone else was in the apartment with Eric and the girls.

"no mam there is no way sorry" the young clerk lied to her, Sookie acted bashful still using his awkwardness to her advantage, Sookie asked him to call up to the apartment a few more times for her as a way to distract him and she walked off toward the security guard telling him the clerk wanted him. It was a long shot but the man actually fell for it and headed toward the front desk, taking advantage of the few seconds she had to get to the stairs she ran harder than she had ever ran before.

Sookie ran up the stairs two at a time her body was telling her she needed to stop and catch her breath but her heart told her she needed to get to the girls and Eric as quickly as possible, when she reached the rear door to the penthouse she saw the bottom of the door that was kicked in and the knob looked like it had been shot more than once. She froze and listened for the girl's minds praying that they were still inside and alive, she found four buzzing minds inside the apartment and a void she assumed was Eric.

Sara's mind was calm but scared she wondered why the man wanted to hold them and why he kept saying he was their grandpa; Samantha just prayed over and over that the strange man wouldn't hurt her family and she didn't understand why the girl laying on the other end of the sofa looked like Mama Tara. Sookie knew it was Trance as soon as Dahlia said someone was helping her try and kill them and take the girls, She knew it was odd for him to wait a year to tell Dahlia that Tara died.

As she looked back on the last several months she realized he only came forward and told Lafayette about Dahlia after both of them had seen her, Sookie snuck into the apartment pushing past the broken door slowly trying not to make a sound. She walked down the hall to the room her and Eric slept in looking for her purse she hadn't even told Eric about the gun she took from Sam's office the day the questioned him about trying to kill her, she felt guilty not telling him but she knew he would want her to get rid of it and she needed it now more than ever.

She reached into her purse and pulled the gun out making sure it was loaded when she heard a man's voice shrieking in the living room, it was Tarance and he was accusing Eric of glammoring the girls Sookie felt pure rage building inside of her. She wanted to run into the living room and shoot the crazy woman and her father for everything they were putting her family through but she thought of the girls and didn't want them to see the any of the horrible things she imagined doing to the two of them.

Sookie crept down the hall listening to Tarance go on and on about the girls being his family and how he wouldn't let them end up like Tara, she felt sorry for the mess Tara had left behind and how it affected so many people in such a horrible way it turned Sam into a liar and a thief her father and sister into crazed lunatics and her daughters were stuck in the middle. Once the yelling stopped Sookie was able to close her eyes and focus on the thoughts of the people in the room, Lafayette wished he had enough strength to help Eric and the girls just seemed scared and confused it wasn't until she heard what Dahlia was thinking that she finally had a plan.

Tarance was armed she saw the image of the gun with wooden bullets that he was hiding behind Samantha's back but it was Dahlia who was faking being unconscious who was planning on making move, Sookie dropped to her knees and crawled over hiding behind the couch she knew Eric could see and hear her but he wouldn't give her away. She waited watching as Dahlia peeked up at Eric and Sookie moved to hide beside Eric's legs beneath the arm of the overstuffed sofa , it was only a few seconds later than Dahlia jumped from the sofa and lunged toward Tarance and the girls.

Her arms fell short missing Sara by a few inches when Sookie grabbed her ankles and yanked to the floor, Lafayette threw his heavy bloody body on top of hers holding her in place as she clawed and scratched at the floor wanting to reach the girls "I will kill them before I let you have them" she screamed. It was in that moment that Tarance loosened his grip on the girls watching in horror as his daughter tried to hurt the family she claimed she loved so much, Eric flashed at vampire speed snatching the crying girls from his arms and locking them safely in the room at the end of the hall.

Tarance hadn't moved or spoken and he didn't try to fight Eric when he took the girls he sat staring at Dahlia who was now begging him to kill the girls, "their our family" he said to her looking confused by her reaction he knew what she was capable of but never imagined she would hurt the girls. Sookie walked over with her gun aimed at his chest and reached down to take the weapon he had hidden beside him when he picked up the gun and aimed it at Lafayette, "Let her up" he screamed as Sookie stood frozen next to him.

She hoped her plan would have worked and she wouldn't have to shoot Tara's father but now she was almost sure she would, "let her up know" he screamed again and Lafayette lifted his body from her allowing her free movement from underneath him. Eric stood watching their every movement while guarding the hall that led to the girls, he was ready to attack at any moment but waiting to be sure it was needed.

Sookie started to talk looking down at Tarance "put the" she tried to sound firm "shut up Sookie" Tarance yelled his eyes still locked on his daughters watching the last measure of sanity leave her mind, he raised his gun it again only this time it was her he had in his sights and he started to sing. "Hush little darling there's no need to cry daddy's going to sing you a lullaby" " no daddy no kill them please kill them all" she pointed down the hall as she begged and a tear slid down his cheek " I love you " he whispered as he pulled the trigger.

Dahlia's body fell to the floor as the hole between her eyes seeped blood, Sookie stood in shock watching as her body twitched on the floor causing Lafayette to push himself further against the wall. She had seen many people die since she met her first vampire but never had she seen anything like this, they all watched Dahlia waiting to be sure she was dead when another pop filled the room and Sookie stood covered in blood and brain.

She looked down at Tarance's body slumped over the arm of the sofa the gaping hole in his head oozing blood and tiny clumps of brain matter, Sookie looked up at Eric who was walking slowly toward her with his hands reaching out to her. She looked down at her blood covered body and back to Eric again before her body started shaking , her eyes felt heavy and her knees were weak she felt her body falling to the floor and Eric arms catch her before her mind went black.

Eric healed Lafayette and told him to pack the girls up so they can head back to the house in Shreveport while he carried an unconscious Sookie into the bathroom and carefully washed her clean, it was about four thirty in the morning when they made it back to Shreveport Sookie, Lafayette and the girls all slept through the ride home. Eric pulled into the garage turning off the car and looking around that he realized just how close he had come to losing his family in the last couple of days, and he told himself he wouldn't let that happen again.


	20. Chapter 20

It was late close to dawn when they pulled into the garage Eric played the bloody scene over and over in his head the whole way home, blood and guts were never an issue for him he had been a vampire for over a thousand years and pretty much seen it all. He knew he could handle what happened but Sookie she was another story, the way she screamed when she saw the blood worried him she was a strong woman but he had watched her mental state weaken over the last year.

From Tara's death to dealing with Sam and thinking she lost him and the girls in the fire he wondered could she really handle what they went through tonight. Eric looked over at her sleeping peacefully and he felt selfish, was marrying her really the best thing for her and the girls or would they be better of living a vampire free existence. He sat staring at her for what seemed like hours before her eyes snapped opened and she jumped looking around the car making sure everyone was really alright, Sookie didn't have to say a word he knew from the sadness in her eyes when she looked at him she wasn't doing so well.

Eric carried the girls inside while Sookie helped Lafayette it had been one of the longest nights of her life and that was saying a lot considering she had spent the last couple of years keeping up with vampires. Once everyone was inside she let herself fall onto the couch next to Lafayette, "How could Tara keep so many secrets we were family and I feel like I don't know her at all" she said as she started crying. "She had a whole other life and never said a word how could she." Sookie wasn't expecting answers from Lafayette she knew he was as confused as her at that moment but she knew he understood her question.

Sookie heard Eric moving around in the kitchen and when she looked at her watch it was just an hour before dawn, she walked into the kitchen and found him holding a bottle of blood while drinking another and immediately felt guilty. She had almost forgotten how much blood he lost earlier that night and she felt bad for not offering her blood to him once they were out of danger and she knew he hated the bottled blood, Sookie stood staring at the floor her tears rolling down her face she couldn't help seeing the image of him riddled with stakes and covered in blood and the images of the night came flooding back to her.

Eric could see the pain in her face and he knew what she was thinking when she walked in and stared at the blood in his hand "Stop that" he said smiling and walking toward her "you're not meals on wheels and I am fine" he said before kissing her forehead softly and walking out of the room, Sookie didn't even realize she was moving her body seemed to be on auto pilot as she followed Eric through their bedroom and into the shower. Sookie let the stream of hot water hide her tears as Eric washed away the dried blood from her hair and her body, she didn't want to think about the horrible things she saw that night but the images played over and over in her mind as she crawled into bed.

Sookie could see the sun filing the sky with pink shadows as her eyes started to feel heavy she watched Eric pull the heavy light tight curtain across the windows before he crawled into bed next to her, he was always careful not to stay in bed with her for too long after the sun came up he hated giving anyone the advantage of knowing where he was resting but tonight was different he knew she needed him. Eric climbed into bed wrapping his body around hers and holding her tight and for the first time since they had been together when she woke up the next morning he was still there, Sookie nuzzled deep into the coolness of his neck and hoped next time would be under better circumstances.

The next four weeks flew by and thankfully they were uneventful no one tried to kill them and best of all Eric agreed to let Lafayette stay with them and help with the girls, Sookie spent her free time managing the bar and preparing for the wedding luckily Eric already handled most of the details but he insisted she handle the finishing touches. "Lafayette can't be your maid of honor he's a man" Arlene shriek over the bar at her, she knew Arlene was expecting to be asked and of course she was but Sookie couldn't pass up the chance to mess with her.

"Seriously Sookie it's just not right it's called MAID of honor not MAN of honor," Sookie laughed at the flustered woman as she walked away with a tray of drinks in her hand before turning her attention back to the seating arrangements she was supposed to have done three days ago. She looked down at the pegs that were sticking out of the thin board and she wanted to just rip the name tags off and give up, Eric had taken over in the beginning and she had no clue why all of the sudden he wanted her opinion but he insisted she handle the final touches for the wedding.

Sookie shoved the project across the bar and walked away she knew deep down that this was just Eric testing her seeing if she was really ready to get married, the thought of not being with him hadn't crossed her mind since she found the ring and asked him to marry her and she told him it didn't matter if they got married in the back yard as long as he was hers. Sookie stood at the end of the bar with her hand under her chin thinking about Eric and how great things have been when the bar went quiet; her head shot up from the bar and she looked around for what caused the silence but saw the people moving around the room in what seemed like slow motion instead.

Her mind had to be playing tricks on her she closed her eyes and shook her head but things only got worse, Sookie stood watching the room spin and the people became a blur she fell to her knees and clenched her hands over her eyes. "Make it stop make it stop" she cried to herself pushing with her mind to make things go back to normal "stop STOP STOP" she screamed again and the bar noise came flooding back, Sookie opened her eyes quickly to find Arlene and Terri standing over her looking at her like she had gone insane.

Terri reached down slowly grabbing her by the waist and helping her get to her feet he had seen this before and he knew Sookie had been through a lot but he never imagined it was enough to break her, Sookie leaned on Arlene as they made their way to the restroom her body was shaking and tired and she had no clue why things had been so relaxed around her lately even the girls were on their best behavior. After splashing some cold water on her face and taking a few deep breaths she started to feel normal again that was if the fretting redhead would stop hovering over her, "you know I would ask if you were pregnant if Eric wasn't a vampire" Arlene said laughing.

For a quick second Sookie pictured herself with a plump stomach and swollen ankles and even though she and Eric had talked about more kids the thought of something tearing her body apart to get into the world didn't seem like fun. She laughed and looked up at her friend "Arlene will you be my maid of honor?" Sookie blurted out figuring she had tortured her enough, all of the sudden the red headed woman turned into an excited teenager jumping up and down and squealing like a pig "yay really yay."

Finally Sookie felt well enough to leave the bathroom and return to work she handed Arlene the seating bored with a few directions "no vamps at tables with humans unless they came together and king Bill needs his own table" these were the same directions Eric had given her, Sookie smiled as she realized how much calmer she felt now that she had someone to help her do her part. It was dusk and she was sitting in her office racking her brain trying to figure out what happened to her earlier when Eric came bursting in through the door, "what happened?" his hair was a mess and the dark circles under his eyes told her he hadn't eaten yet "nothing I just got dizzy I think."

Eric stared at her not believing a word she was saying but he knew it would do her no good to argue with her about it, tonight was their rehearsal dinner and judging by the comments she was making all week she wasn't looking forward to it. He didn't take it personal he was well aware that Sookie hated being the center of attention, the emotions he felt through their bond reassured him that she wanted to marry him but he hoped she would be able to enjoy their big day.

His goal was to have their wedding reflect both of them so that she could feel comfortable in the moment and when they looked back she wouldn't have any regrets but now he wondered if he was pushing her to hard, Eric walked toward her leaning down and wrapping his arms around her shoulders "how's the maid of honor thing going?" Sookie busted out laughing at the thought of Arlene's face when she told her she had chosen Lafayette for the job, Eric smiled he knew she had been enjoying picking at Arlene and the thought of it would make her laugh.

Later that evening Sookie laid out her outfit for the rehearsal dinner and jumped into the shower, she hated the idea of the whole thing but she could tell it was important to Eric and she didn't want to let him down so she would smile and dance tonight just to make him happy. Sookie was standing in the shower enjoying the warm water as it ran over her skin when she started to feel queasy she opened her eyes slowly and the room started to spin, Sookie reached for the handle of the shower door but couldn't manage to grasp she looked down searching for the handle but it had disappeared, she tried to stay calm but the door to the bathroom slammed shut making her jump she lost her balance and slid down the wall.

Sookie sat in the steam filled shower curling her arms around her legs and praying for the spinning to stop she tried to focus on her breathing to push it away like she had done earlier when she heard a voice call her name, "Sookie" she jumped again looking in the direction of the voice but saw nothing just the spinning walls that reminded her of a bad carnival ride. "Eric" she screamed as loud as she could but didn't get an answer "Eric" she tried again but this time her scream was muffled by the laughter that filled the air around her, Sookie squeezed her eyes shut and pushed with her mind as hard as she could willing everything to stop but when she opened her eyes again things had only gotten worse.

Tara stood a few inches from her covered in blood her throat was ripped out and long gashes cover the length of her body making her almost unrecognizable, Sookie panicked squeezing her eyes shut again not wanting to see the gruesome image of her friend but the laughter continued and someone touched he cheek making her eyes fly open again. The sight of Tara was enough to turn her stomach but the images that filled the room were enough to break her sanity. Tarance slumped in the corner smiling at her while half of his head oozed down the wall behind him while Dahlia stood racking back and forth as the blood ran from the bullet hole in the front of her head, the three of them laughed at her reaction and the sound buzzed through her head.

Sookie felt herself slowly fall into darkness her eyes felt heavy and her body was suddenly cold there was a sharp pain in her mind and then nothingness surrounded her, when she opened her eyes she was lying in bed with Eric beside her looking horrified "if you didn't want to go that bad all you had to do is say so" he said smiling a halfhearted smile. "Oh Eric I'm sorry I'll be ready in five minutes" she jumped out of bed grabbing her dress and pulling over her head, "Sookie stop its fine "he pulled at her arms trying to get her back into bed "no Eric I know how important this is to you" she whimpered pulling free from his grip and rushing over to her vanity pinning her hair back.

Damn it Sookie stop you were passed out for hours get back in bed you need rest" she heard what he was saying but it didn't register in her brain "hours what do you mean hours", she stood looking at him remembering what happened in the shower and her stomach felt queasy. Eric watched as the expression on her face changed and he knew there was something she wasn't telling him, "What happened in the shower?" Sookie looked at the floor and didn't answer "I had to break down the bathroom door and pull you out of an ice cold shower damn it now tell me what happened.

Sorry it took so long for this chapter but I struggled with where to take now that they aren't being hunted please tell me what you think I live for reviews and thanks to everyone for reading xxoo


	21. Chapter 21

Sookie stood in the middle of the bedroom trying to remember what exactly happened to her in the shower she remembered the water feeling hotter than usual and feeling dizzy like she had earlier that day before the room started spinning out of control, she started talking out loud picturing in her mind every second from the laughter she heard and opening her eyes to see Tara and her family of dead bodies. She wasn't talking to Eric she was directly but she knew he was listening to her as she continued rambling on and on to herself, she was trying to figure out what was going on she had seen Tara before in a dream but why was she seeing the others now and not weeks ago when she witnessed their deaths.

"Tara was taunting me she appeared first" she said starting to cry "why is she doing this to me?" Sookie paced the floor throwing her hands in anger "I kept the girls safe" she screamed up at the ceiling before turning to face Eric, He sat quietly at the end of the bed watching her as she paced he knew something was happening to her but at this point he wasn't sure if it was supernatural or mental. "Sookie did they say anything to you did Tara say anything to you?" Sookie pressed her hands to her eyes as she cried hoping to push the images out of her head but it was no use all she could see was Tarance smiling and his brains on the all and Dahlia rocking back and forth with a hole in her head but worst of all was Tara's laughter echoing in the room around her.

"She just kept laughing and laughing" she cried answering Eric's question a few seconds later her knees felt weak and everything in the room was blurry Sookie could feel the darkness creeping up on her and her eyes closed as she fell, Eric flew off of the bed and wrapped his arms around her as she started to fall and carefully laid her back on the bed. Sookie needed help and there was only one person he could think to call, she would not only be able to tell him if it was supernatural or if Sookie was having a mental breakdown because of everything they have been through lately but she might be able to help Eric flipped open his phone and called an old friend of Sookie's.

"Amelia" his voice broke as he stared at a sleeping Sookie "I think we have a problem I need your help" Eric wasn't use to asking for help he had always been able handle what came at him but when it came to his Sookie he took no chances, Eric explained what he could make out from Sookie's ramblings and asked if there was any way she could help. Amelia was a witch and Eric figured if it were supernatural she could at least tell him what he was up against. He was thankful that It didn't take much persuasion for her to agree to come even though he would have been willing to beg, "I'm not sure if there is anything I can do to help but I am willing to try" Amelia could feel Eric's tension through the phone as he thanked her for the hundredth time before they hung up.

He thought with Amelia on her way he would feel more at ease but as Eric stood in the bedroom doorway watching her sleep he couldn't stand the thought of her losing her mind and he found himself praying that it was something supernatural because at least he stood a chance against that. He paced the floor until he felt dawn approaching and he knew he would have to go to rest for the day, Eric didn't want to leave her to deal with this alone but he wasn't sure if he would be safe spending his day in the bedroom with her he couldn't trust her with her own life right now after finding her face down in the shower how could he trust her with his and then it hit him what about the girls.

There was no way she would ever hurt them intentionally but what if she had an episode while cooking lunch and burned the house down or even if she passed out in front of them they would be terrified, Eric walked down the long hallway and pushed open Lafayette's door feeling thankful that he was home tonight as he shook him awake. He started to explain what was going on Sookie but halfway through Eric's story Lafayette started to look panicked, he held up his hand and shook his head waiting for Eric to stop talking. "Tara don't mean no harm she's just here to see the girls", Eric paused his first reaction was to choke the half asleep idiot he had allowed to stay in his house but instead he sat staring at him in disbelief.

"What the fuck do you mean she is just here to see the girls you can see her?" Lafayette scooted back on the bed trying to put some distance between him and the now angry vampire "Eric I'm a medium I can see spirits and Tara's been around since I been back." Eric's eyes started to glow with rage he couldn't understand how he could be so stupid "you didn't think you should tell us that there has been a ghost just hanging around here", Eric jumped up from the bed and started pacing again at least he knew now that what Sookie was seeing was real but why if Tara has been here the whole time why did she wait until now to show herself to Sookie.

It was dawn now and the sun was starting to rise Eric could feel the pull of the day calling him to sleep, "just keep an eye on Sookie and the girls today and if you see Tara tell her get the fuck out of my house" he snapped at Lafayette before leaving the room and heading to his day time resting place. Lafayette climbed out of bed once he was sure the pissed off Eric was gone and he made his way into Sookie's bedroom and saw her sleeping peacefully in her bed, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her but if Eric told him to watch her then he knew he better do it. He could hear the girls waking and ran to their room keeping them quiet as he walked them to the kitchen to eat breakfast, a few minutes later Sookie joined them her hair a mess she looked drained and anxious it was then that Lafayette understood why he was to watch her.

Sookie seemed to watching all around her as if someone or something was going to jump out at her at any moment her voice was weak and she seemed frail , Lafayette had never seen her so afraid in all the years he'd known her but know he could see that whatever Tara did to Sookie it really freaked her out. "how's about some breakfast Sook" he said waving a plate of hot cake in her face" normally his hotcakes would have had her eyes wide and her mouth watering but today she shook her head no and rubbed her stomach "I'm not feeling to hungry right now" she said as she grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"You're a medium" she shrieked at Lafayette across the table "why didn't you tell me can you see" she stopped as she looked at the girls who were enjoying their food and chatting, Lafayette should have known she would have known what he was thinking since he talked to Eric about it this morning it had been the only thing on his mind. "Sook I will tell you everything after breakfast" he said waving his hand between the two girls making his point "damn strait you will tell me everything Lafayette everything", she could see the sorrow in his eyes for not telling her but in his thoughts she could see Tara standing over the girls watching them play with Lafayette and him smiling up at her.

Sookie felt betrayed by her friend how could he not tell her that Tara's spirit had been hanging around the girls especially with everything they just went through with Tara's father and sister, she had so many questions and the list grew by the minute as she sat watching them eat their breakfast and listening to him chat with the girls as if everything was alright. Sookie's patients was wearing thin with the people around her she was tired of being kept in the dark until everything blew up and then she was told they did it to protect her, finally the girls finished eating and left the room to play leaving Lafayette with no more excuses.

"How long have you been seeing her?" Sookie couldn't hold back anymore "how the hell could you keep this from me and knowing she was watching the girls", she ranted on and on not giving him a chance to answer "and since when are you a medium?" she had about a thousand more but she figured these were the most important. "Sook I, I'm sorry for not telling you but she didn't seem to be hurting anyone and I started seeing her right after I came to stay here", Sookie searched his thoughts to be sure he was telling the truth and suddenly she felt bad for being so angry with him.

In some way Lafayette was being tortured to only instead of seeing them once in a while they had an open door to communicate with him, " so when did you find out you were a medium?" she asked this time in a much calmer tone and Lafayette's eyes grew wide as he stared at the space above her head. Sookie turned to look in the direction he was staring when her chest as if all the air had been sucked out of the room, she panicked jumping from her seat and running out of the room as the laughter started to echo in her head it was Tara she could feel it feel her and she was squeezing something inside of Sookie's body.

"Tara what the fuck" she could hear Lafayette screaming from the other room he saw what she had done to Sookie and he hoped his scolding her would be enough to make her stop but it was too late, the room started to spin and her ears were ringing as she looked around the room and saw Tarance and Dahlia hovering beside her. She shoved herself backward across the floor trying to get as far away from them as possible but there was no use they followed her every move, Sookie squeezed her eyes shut tight curling up in the corner of the room "No No NO" she screamed and when she opened her eyes they were gone and Lafayette stood in the doorway watching her.

"Sook are you ok" he said Looking around the room slowly he walked over lifting her up and laying her on the bed he had no clue what Tara was doing or why, he had seen Tara appear in the kitchen just before he and Sookie started talking but she was only sitting in the corner watching them and he didn't think she was a threat .Lafayette knew Sookie was angry with him already and he thought telling her Tara was in the room would only make her more upset, it wasn't until she started to move closer and closer to Sookie that he knew something was wrong.

His eyes were locked on Tara as he tried to figure out the expression on her face and all he could think was DON'T PLEASE DON'T and he watched as Sookie started to turn in the direction he was looking and Tara disappeared into her body. "I didn't know she could do that I swear" he whispered as he knelt down in front of her "why is she here Lafayette and why is she doing this to me?", Sookie started to sob all of the anger she had felt just a few minutes ago were erased by her fear and now she just wanted to know what she could have done to make Tara want to hurt her.

"She never said anything to me about you it was always about the girls so I thought her being here was fine" Lafayette said wiping the tears from her face, Sookie could see clearly in his thoughts that he was as confused as she was on why Tara would want to hurt her after all this time but he was going to do everything he could to find out. The next few hours passed with no Tara sightings and Sookie was starting to feel calmer as she sat snuggled up on the couch with the girls watching movies, there was still a few hours until sunset and she couldn't wait for Eric to rise she had felt vulnerable all day and she hoped he had figured out a way to handle what was happening.

It was around four thirty and Sookie was still sitting on the sofa with the girls when she picked up on a strange rambling thought in someone's mind, at first she thought she must be going crazy but as she listened she knew it was a chant she jumped from the sofa almost tripping over the coffee table as she ran to the door and pulled it open to find Amelia casting a spell on the house. She watched as the small framed woman swung her arms in the air and repeated three words over and over, Sookie knew what she was doing she had seen her doing it before she was casting a protection spell on the house to keep out anyone who wished to cause them harm.

Sookie waited for her to finish before she spoke "does that work on ghost" she said with a false smile, Amelia turned toward her and she could see why Eric had called sounding so frantic the woman she was looking at seemed worn and afraid the exact opposite of her friend Sookie. The two of them hugged for what seemed like hours before either one spoke "so you think it's a ghost huh?"


	22. Chapter 22

Amelia turned toward her and she could see why Eric had called sounding so frantic the woman she was looking at seemed worn and afraid the exact opposite of her friend Sookie. The two of them hugged for what seemed like hours before either one spoke "so you think it's a ghost huh?"

Sookie walked over to the front stairs and sat "yeah I don't think it is I know" Amelia looked confused Eric said they weren't sure what was causing her episodes and he thought that maybe she was having some kind of mental break but she couldn't help but ask, "how do you know it's a ghost?" Sookie looked up at her ignoring her question completely "Eric thinks I'm having a mental break". "Damn it Sookie I asked you to stay out of my head" Sookie felt guilty Amelia had asked her a long time ago not to listen into her thoughts but she couldn't help it lately she didn't really trust that the people around her were always telling her what she needed to know.

"He doesn't think you're crazy if that's what you're asking he was worried that with everything you guys have been through lately you might not be taking it that well", she said taking a seat next to Sookie and wrapping her arm around her "Lafayette is a medium" she blurted out feeling like one of the girls when they have a really big secret and they let it slip. Amelia's eyes got big like a kid in a candy store she had always been fascinated with the dead and she couldn't help but think of all the things she could learn with a medium, "since when? " She asked with a huge smile on her face.

Sookie didn't have an answer when thanks to Tara who tried to squeeze the life out of her before she could get one "I don't know but he said Tara has been here since he came back to town and she has been visiting the girls", Amelia looked shocked and of course she asked why if she was here all this time he picked now to cause trouble but Sookie didn't have an answer for that either. They made their way inside Sookie calling the girls so that she could see how much they had grown and she watched Lafayette's reaction when they ran into the room, it was the same look he had earlier and Sookie knew Tara was there.

She felt her heart race and she threw herself down on the sofa "damn it" she said in frustration as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her knees, " Sookie what's going on" Amelia said staring at her childlike figure "is it happening now" she asked trying to figure out what was going on. "No not yet" Sookie peeked through her clenched eyes waiting for the room to start spinning but nothing happened she opened her eyes and nothing the room was fine and there were no dead people in it, a few seconds later Eric came walking into the room looking frustrated and tired Sookie knew he felt her panic earlier and it made her feel terrible that he couldn't rest thanks to what was happening to her "what was that earlier?"

"It felt like all of the air was being squeezed out of my body" she tried her best to explain what happened in the kitchen but it was Lafayette who filled in the blanks, he asked the girls to leave the room for a minute and when he was sure there was no way they could hear he sat back in the chair and told them what he knew. "She came to me the first time right after I heard she was dead it was her who told me I needed to come back to Bon Temp, I wasn't ready to be back here not after Jesus died I wanted to be done with this place but she said the girls were going to need me so I came.

I didn't see her again until the first night I stayed here with you guys she woke me up asking me to ask the girls questions about how they like living here and if they remembered her, for a while after that she would just hang around them while they played and watch them sleep I really didn't think she meant any harm not until today in the kitchen when she tried to take over Sookie's body". Sookie held her hand up trying to catch her breath "take over my body was that what she was trying to do this morning" Lafayette quietly shook his head yes, "can she will she be able to do that" she looked around the room waiting for anyone to answer her question but no one did.

"Amelia can you find out if it's possible" Eric asked hoping to ease the anxiety that was building up in Sookie but when he looked from Amelia to her he could see the fear in her eyes as she cupped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. "Sookie" Eric's voice sounded distant and muffled all around her she could hear the laughter that she knew all too well, Sookie rocked back and forth wanting the noises that filled her head to stop she knew she wasn't crazy but she would if Tara kept this up. The room started to spin out of control and Sookie felt herself heaving as the odor of death filled her nostrils her eyes flew open and the room suddenly seemed over crowded with Tara standing between her and Eric laughing and Tarance and Dahlia sitting in the middle of the room watching her smiling.

Sookie jumped from the sofa running from the room she had no idea where she was heading but she needed to be away from Tara and her family, she stumbled out the back door and down the stairs hoping the fresh air would wash away the smell of death that surrounded her but the odor was to strong. She hunched over heaving again and again until her stomach felt empty and her face swollen she could her Eric and Amelia behind her calling her name but it was too late, her eyes were heavy and the darkness took over her mind as she fell to the ground unconscious.

"See" Eric snapped catching Sookie just before she hit the wet dirt and cradling her in his arms "she passes out each time after seeing them", he carried her limp body into the bedroom and laid her down tucking the blankets around her before heading back into the kitchen to talk to Amelia and Lafayette. "I was hoping that when I came it would be to give you your wedding gift" Amelia joked trying to lighten the mood but Eric wasn't sure there would even be a wedding if they couldn't stop whatever it was that Tara and her family was doing to Sookie, "is there a spell or a chant that can keep them away from her?" He blurted out instead of responding to her comment "is there anything you can do Amelia?"

The room got quiet and the silence was killing Eric he needed to know how to save her they had been through so much in the past year and now he could lose her because some damn ghost won't move on, he flipped the kitchen table into the air and watched as it came down crashing into tiny pieces. "There is a spell but it won't work with a medium living in the house" Lafayette looked at her offended "what does a medium have to do with shit you saying I caused this", Amelia waved her hand toward him "no not at all but you are an open door for them and the spell would mean no one or nothing connected to the spirit realm can live in the house hold" Eric didn't think twice about it "we'll do it" he barked paying no attention to Lafayette before turning to walk out of the room.

Later that night Eric handed Lafayette the keys to Sam's trailer he felt bad for putting him out considering how close he was to Sookie and the girls but he needed to help Sookie, he had called and had the trailer put back onto merlots land hoping it would make things easier for Lafayette. Eric and Amelia were standing in the kitchen waiting for Lafayette to pack the last of this stuff when Sookie walked in looking pale and thin, "what's going on" she asked looking over at the bags lined up at the back door Eric didn't really want to answer her question thinking she would argue with him about making Lafayette leave but to his surprise when he explained she agreed that it was their best option.

The three of them stood in the kitchen while Amelia told Sookie about the spell she would best casting in her when Lafayette came walking in, the look on his face was horror as he clutched his chest and stumbled back into the counter "what the fuck " he mumbled staring into the empty space behind Sookie. There stood Tara Tarance and Dahlia each holding on to Sookie from different angles and Lafayette screamed "Tara what the fuck is you doing and why are they here, Sookie looked panicked and she could tell Lafayette had assumed that the only ghost haunting her was Tara she squeezed her eyes shut and started to rock "do it now she cried do the spell now."

Amelia looked over at Eric as he shook his head in agreement for her to start the spell but she walked over next to Lafayette instead, "who do you see?" she kept her voice calm and even "its Tara her father and sister" and suddenly the room erupted as dishes and canned food flew from the cabinets and the furniture in the room was slammed repeatedly. "What's happening" Amelia asked Lafayette still keeping her voice calm and even "Tara was angry that I called them her father and sister", Amelia looked at Sookie and Eric who were stunned by what was happening around them and then back to Lafayette "ask them what they want" she whispered to him.

Lafayette's face became stone and he started to shake his head no over and over "they want to, to live again" he cried out as the tears rolled down his face "they want Sookie's body, Tara wants her girls, she wants to be there mother not Sookie, she wants a second chance" Lafayette's knees felt week he couldn't handle the thought of Tara feeling so lonely and sad that she would try to hurt Sookie. "No Tara you can't" he sobbed as he grabbed his bags and walked out the door only turning back to look at Amelia "do the spell now", Sookie was shocked her best friend from childhood who she had always been there for and had always been there for her now wanted her to die so she could live again it was a lot to take in as she watched Lafayette walk away.

Sookie was so distracted she hadn't noticed Amelia starting the spell there was something funny burning in her hand as and she waved it around her but still she was so taken back by the thought of Tara wanting to harm her that she hardly noticed what was going on around her. Sookie sat in silence busy in her own head when she suddenly felt tired and weak like the life was being drained from her, she tried to tell Eric what was happening but it was no use she couldn't speak and when she tried to wave her hand at Amelia to stop she realized she couldn't move. She immediately thought something was going terrible wrong but the thought didn't last long as her eyes got heavy and the darkness pulled her under.


	23. Chapter 23

"Eric, Hello, Where's Eric" Sookie mumbled to herself rubbing the fuzzy lights out of her eyes from with her hands as she crawled out of bed and walked through the empty house looking for him and Amelia, "Eric" she yelled out as she walked down the hall and through the kitchen peeking in on the girls as she passed their room. She made her way into the living room where Amelia popped her head in the front door startling her, "Sookie your awake" she said sounding overly surprised by the fact "of course I'm awake why wouldn't I be" she snapped back watching as the witch blew out the sage she was burning as she walked through the door.

"How do you feel" Amelia skirted around Sookie's question "like I was hit by a bus a bunch of times why", Sookie knew she was being difficult but she couldn't help her mood at the moment her body was stiff and achy and her brain was running in slow motion, the last thing she remembered was Amelia casting a spell over her in the kitchen and the darkness that pulled her into the worst nightmare of her life. Once the darkness pulled her in Sookie wondered around inside of her own head for what seemed like days reliving the worst moments over her life like they were happening all over again each one more vivid than when they happened the first time, when she was bullied as a child it bothered her that much more and when she found gran dead her blood was brighter and thicker.

When Bill lied to her about his intentions her chest burned that much more everything seemed so much more intense in her mind, Sookie felt horrible locked deep inside of herself for so long she begged and pleaded with her mind to wake up to go back to reality but the haze that filled her head kept her from opening her eye's. Eric talked to her for what seemed like hours and she could hear the girls running through the house asking where she was but still she couldn't return to her life she couldn't tell Eric she was cared or tell Amelia that something had gone wrong, Sookie looked at Amelia who was now sitting on the sofa staring at her like she was crazy "how long was I unconscious?"

Amelia smiled at her and Sookie could see clearly into her mind she thought something went wrong but she wasn't sure if she should tell her before Eric got back in case she freaked out "seriously Amelia how long was I out?" Sookie slumped down in the chair across from the witch and waited for her to answer. "Can you promise you won't freak out on me" Amelia said squirming in her seat trying not to think about what Sookie wanted to know "yes I promise no freaking out now just tell me how long was I asleep?" she sat staring at Amelia waiting for her reply and feeling like she was hiding something important from her, Sookie watched her shift in her seat and fidget with her hair Amelia was nervous it was clear and she didn't want her friend to be angry with her.

Sookie's patience was growing thin and she couldn't focus enough to get the answer from her friends mind "Amelia!" she shrieked "ok ok three days Sookie you were asleep for three days", Sookie tried not to freak out but her stomach was in knots and she could feel her temper flaring with every second that passed. "What" she wanted to scream and yell she really did but she promise she wouldn't get upset "Amelia why was I out for so long", she tried to keep her voice calm and level but her frustration was clear in her words there was no answer to her question.

Amelia had no clue why Sookie had stayed unconscious for so long but she was sure it must have had something to do with her fairy ancestry, when she didn't wake right away after the spell was completed Amelia panicked calling the head witch of her coven back in New Orleans . She needed to be sure she hadn't turned her friend into a vegetable she thought as she repeated each step she had taken to her superior careful not to miss a step, there was no way she could have lived with herself if she had mispronounced a word or forgot a hand gesture but she was one hundred percent sure the spell was done properly before she hung up the phone.

"I get it" Sookie said in a flat voice after reading every thought from her mind "where's Eric "her eyes wondered around the room as if he would appear from a dark corner just knowing she was asking for him, Amelia shrugged off Sookie's attitude "there was an emergency at the bar that he said he had to deal with right away". Sookie felt frustrated all over again she didn't understand why Eric would leave her knowing she had been unconscious for three days, what could be so bad at the bar that he needed to go in the middle of the night Arlene and Terri had always done a great job at keeping things under control and she couldn't figure out what could possibly be that important.

A heavy silence filled the room neither of them knowing what to say to the other Sookie with her attitude and Amelia feeling bad about the spells little goof that kept her asleep for three days, "did he say what was going on at the bar" Sookie asked breaking the silence "oh well he said something about a few important quests showing up early for the wedding and causing a scene at Fangtasia". Sookie felt silly for assuming the problem was at Merlot's of course he would have to go if it were a vampire issue he was still sheriff of area five and that meant he was responsible for what happened at Fangtasia, she slouched down in her chair and wished Eric would hurry home from wherever he was and just as she finished her thought the phone rang and somehow she knew it was him.

"Hello" she knew she sounded overly excited but it had been three days since she had heard the sound of his voice "hey your awake sleepy head" he said playfully letting her know he couldn't really talk "I'm fine Eric hungry and cranky but I'm fine", there was a long pause and she knew he was trying to contain his reaction in front of whoever was there with him "good that's good well I will see you later then" Sookie smiled as she pictured him trying to act like Mr. nothing gets to me and she couldn't help but mess with him "what will you do to me later" she giggled "would you like to hear what I will do to you" she whispered into the phone listening for his reply and she knew she had him when the line went dead from his end.

A few hours later Sookie had eaten half of the contents in the fridge an finally worked up enough courage to take a shower, she had been waiting for Eric to come home just in case Amelia's spell didn't work but it wasn't looking like he was coming home any time son and judging from the text messages he was sending her it wasn't by choice. Apparently even though Eric checked and rechecked the invitations making sure each one showed the correct date a few of the vampire Royalty had decided to show up early for the wedding and it was his duty as sheriff to make accommodations for them, Eric tried to explain the who's who of vampire politics to Sookie several times hoping some of it would stick but the more he tried to teach her the more she seemed to forget.

There were only five days to the wedding and Sookie already couldn't wait for it to be over she was one hundred percent sure she wanted to marry Eric but zero percent sure about the big wedding and half the town staring at her all night, Eric told her the wedding was good for his image and it would get him in good with the AVL being the first vampire human wedding to have quest from both sides present. She tried to understand where he was coming from but when it came to the vampire world Sookie learned a long time ago that she didn't want to know, the water in the shower was warm and felt nice on her skin but still she washed slowly waiting for the room to start spinning and the laughter to come.

Sookie started to feel like her old self again the tension easing in her shoulders and closing her eyes to let the water run down her face, "mmmm" a voice echoed from inside the shower and her body went stiff as she squeezed her eyes shut tight refusing to see what or who was in the shower with her. "Sookie" a pair of cold hands grabbed her around her waist turning her to face him "I'm sorry I thought you heard me come in" he said kissing her head as she opened her eyes to see Eric standing in the shower with her completely naked, she stood staring at him taking in all of his gorgeous body when something took over her she lunged forward wrapping her arms and legs around him as she kissed him.

Startled Eric held her to him deepening their kiss it had been months since he had seen this much passion in Sookie and he intended to take advantage of It, he slammed her body against the shower wall reaching quickly between her thighs pushing his full erect member deep inside making her squeal with excitement he slammed into her again and again as she wiggled her hips back and forth driving him crazy. Eric watched her face as she threw her head back enjoying the passion that surged through their bond she moaned as her warmth pulsed around his member letting him know she was ready; he steadied her against the wall again pushing all of him inside with each thrust and panting as her juices flowed down him "I love you Sookie" he whispered in her ear as she pushed her hair aside exposing her neck.

"Eric bite me" her voice was groggy she meant what she was saying Sookie knew he would feel more satisfied if he bit her while they had sex rather than drink a true blood later, "bit me" she said looking into his eyes and the sound of her voice drove him crazy. His body stiffened and he could feel her heart beat through his body as he sank his fangs into her neck and drank her blood bringing him his release, Sookie moaned as she felt him finish it had been so long since she had let him drink from her after sex and she realized how much she had been missing that part of his true nature.

The next couple of days passed quickly and with no sign of Tara or any other dead beings that had been haunting her and before she knew it was the day before the wedding and Eric had planned a private dinner for the two of them, he had been telling her for days that he had figured out the perfect wedding gift for her and he couldn't wait to give it to her. There were still a few hours until sunset and Sookie had already dropped the girls off at Jason's for the night and checked in at the bar to be sure everything was running smoothly, she couldn't remember the last time she had been home alone and she wasn't really sure what to do with herself now that she was.

Sookie was sitting in the kitchen staring out the window watching the trees sway in the sunshine when it hit her tomorrow she would be married, it was something she never imagined she would do and if it hadn't been Eric she was marrying she was positive this free time would have been spent packing so she could flee before tomorrow night. Her nerves were getting the best of her and her mind was in over drive she needed to calm down before Eric sensed her freaking out so she ran into the bedroom grabbing a blanket and throwing on her favorite bathing suit before heading out into the yard, sunbathing was always a favorite pass time of hers and it calmed her too so she sat listening to the birds chirp and the wind blow until her mind slowed to a normal pace.

"Mrs. Northman" a male voice broke through the silence "Mrs. Northman?" Sookie repeated as she sat up "oh I'm sorry for waking you but your husband asked us to set out here and I didn't want to startle you", Sookie looked up from her the ground to see a tall thin man with dark eyes and hair staring down at her attentively and she held her hand up gesturing for him to stop apologizing. "No I'm sorry" she said as she stood gathering the blanket around her body "go right ahead and do what it was Mr. Northman asked I will be in the house if you need me", Sookie walked into the house looking back to see the tall man giving out instructions to several other people she hadn't seen in the yard.

She walked into the bedroom where she found a beautiful yellow silk strapless dress draped across the bed another surprise from Eric, with just an hour left until sunset Sookie rushed into the shower washing quicker than she ever had before she felt anxious about the gift Eric had been talking about so much he refused to give her any clues even when she begged and offered bribes. Her shower finished she pinned her hair back with a gold antique hair pin that had belonged to her gran and followed it with a pair of gold earrings and a little bit of makeup, she wanted to look good for Eric considering he was going all out with his plans for this evening.

The sunset at seven exactly and Sookie stood waiting in the back yard for Eric to rise.


	24. Chapter 24

Sookie stood waiting for Eric for what seemed like hours in the back yard where he arranged for them to have dinner together the night before their wedding. Behind her was a white tent strung with beautiful rose shaped lights strung along the top and underneath was an elegant table set for two, the sun had set almost an hour ago and she was beginning to worry it wasn't like Eric to be late and as far as she knew he was resting in his cubby just inside the house.

She looked down at the lovely yellow silk dress Eric had given her for the occasion and for the first time wondered why Eric would want to marry her she was average build and height and her hair and aside from being part fairy she didn't really bring anything to the table. There was movement inside the house causing Sookie to push the thought out of her head, "Eric" she called out but didn't get an answer. Her nerves were shot and he knew she hated surprises standing in the yard waiting for him was beginning to feel like torture, suddenly a cold hand grabbed hers pulling her toward him and as if on command two men bearing violins stepped from behind the bushes in the yard and began to play.

"Where were you" she said pouting more with every word "the sun set almost two hours ago I was worried" Eric smiled at her "what time is it now sweetheart" Sookie looked at her watch and blurted out that it was now after nine unsure of what his point in asking the time was. "Exactly dear it was this day and this time two years ago that Bill Compton walked into Fangtasia with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen" suddenly she felt stupid for being angry with him but how was she to know that he would remember such a thing.

Eric had never been someone to make big deal out of time and she wasn't even sure he owned a watch in the last five hundred years, Sookie laughed as she pictured him counting down the days on a secret calendar in his office or keeping a diary that somewhere inside he had written 'met Sookie Stackhouse at nine seventeen at Fangtasia. They danced around the yard as Eric lead her in the waltz and she couldn't help thinking she would have been better of standing on his feet while they swayed "so what's this surprise" she questioned as he spun and dipped her like a pro.

"Surprise what surprise?" Eric teased knowing full well he had been taunting her by telling her he had a big surprise wedding gift for her for months now and even when she begged for hints he refused to tell her anything about it. Sookie pulled away looking up at his face and seeing him grin deviously "that's fine with me I don't want it anyway" she kissed his lips and walked toward the table where dinner was being served.

Sookie sat at the table quietly while the food was arranged in front of her it was a meal she knew well and she would have to remind herself once she started to take it easy if she wants to fit in her dress for the wedding. Sitting In front of her was a tray of fried chicken, homemade mashed potatoes, cornbread, and fresh greens and for desert peach cobbler, Sookie waited for the young man to pour their drinks and walk away before she loaded her plate with food and started to eat.

Eric watched her smiling as he sipped his True Blood he was eager to give her his gift he had been working on it for months now and thanks to Amelia he had found a way to give her the one thing he couldn't as a vampire. Sookie swallowed mouths full of food still trying to pretend she wanted no part of Eric's gift she refused to look at him concentrating on her stomach instead, felling overly stuffed she sat her fork down and leaned back in her chair "that was delicious" she said still looking anywhere but at Eric.

"Sookie" he put his hand on hers and squeezed to get her attention "Sookie I figured it out" she looked up at his face confused as to what he was talking about "figured what out?" Eric's grin spread wider as he spoke "I figured out how we can have our baby," Sookie jumped in her seat and clamped her hand over her mouth 'why would have your baby so you can have a snack whenever you want' was the thought that crossed her mind and immediately she wondered why she would even think that.

She knew Eric loved the girls and he had been wanting a child of his own not only his whole human life but his vampire life too, her heart sank and she was so glad the comment hadn't made it past her lips she looked up ready to question his sanity when she saw his face and watched him glow at the thought of being a father. "A baby how is that, how can we, where did" Sookie was speechless she wasn't sure she even wanted a baby what if she passed on her little gift or what if there is something even worse wrong with her baby was Eric really thinking this through if she was like chocolate for vampires what would their child be.

"Eric do you think this is a good idea" she watched as his face turned cold and his eyes filled with disappointment, she knew she had agreed to having his baby it was the day he took her to her childhood which he had rebuilt from the ground up so they could raise their children in a place she was comfortable. Sookie remembered the conversation completely and she was more than happy to say yes even with all of the drama that was going on around them but she never thought he would actually find a way.

Eric sat frozen like a dear in headlights she could tell he was upset, that he wanted to scream and yell at her but he was holding back hoping she would say what he wanted to hear. "I don't understand I thought we both wanted this that's why I had Amelia look into it" Eric gritted his teeth biting out each word and she knew her reaction had hurt him deeply. 'Stupid fucking witch leave it to her to find a way for the dead guy to give life' Sookie jumped as the words danced through her head, she wasn't sure why she was thinking such vulgar things but she knew that wasn't how she really felt about Eric or her friend Amelia.

"So you don't want to have a child with me" Eric's voice sounded weaker and heavy with sadness, Sookie's heart ached as he said the words knowing how bad it must have been hurting him. "No I didn't say that did I?" she wasn't sure if she had accidentally let the horrible thoughts form into words, "it's just a shock I never thought there would be a way" Eric grew angrier with each words she spoke until he couldn't hold back any longer.

"So let me get this straight you only agreed to have a child with me because you figured you would never have to follow through with it is that what you're telling me?" His voice boomed in her ears and a lump formed in her throat and she started to cry "No I, It's just, Oh god Eric" Sookie covered her face with her hands trying not to see the anger and hurt that radiated in his eyes.

It was obvious she had hurt him and this time it was bad Eric had only Ever reacted this badly one other time and that was when he found out she had married Sam, a few seconds later she felt a breeze and hurt him sob before he took off into the air. Sookie panicked standing in the yard searching the sky for any sign of Eric but it was no use she knew he could be just feet away and she wouldn't see him if he didn't want her too, suddenly her stomach cringed dropping her to her knees and then nothing Eric had shut himself off from her completely.

'Good this time maybe he will just stay gone forever' the words in her head cut her like a knife and Sookie knew the thoughts she was hearing weren't her own, she looked around the yard stretching her mind in all ways around her trying to find the source behind the thoughts she was hearing but all she found was silence. The silence scared her making her turn running back into the house slamming and locking the doors behind her, Sookie was alone and afraid and the first person she thought to call wasn't likely to want to talk to her at the moment.

Her chest ached again as she picture his face staring back at her like she had just taken a wooden stake and stabbed him in the heart "oh god what did I do" she said aloud curling her body around her knees as she slid down the wall onto the floor. She knew she loved Eric and she knew she never wanted to see that pain in his face why couldn't she just tell him that she was scared that she was unsure, why did her words get stuck in her throat leaving him to suffer would having his baby really be that bad what was she so afraid of.

Sookie spent the next couple of hours curled up a ball on the kitchen floor trying to figure out why she wasn't comfortable having a baby with Eric when her eyes felt heavy and she drifted off to sleep, she woke the next morning stiff and cold still curled up on the kitchen floor. She had been hoping Eric would come home that they could talk things through and she could explain what she figured out last night, she didn't want to make her child a freak Sookie hated the thought of passing on her telepathy making the kid an outcast for its whole life she was.

'Who cares' a voice jolted her from her thoughts making her look around the room but again she saw no one she was alone standing in Eric's kitchen in the now wrinkled yellow dress her had picked out just for her. Sookie sulked into the bedroom tearing the dress from her body and throwing to the floor like it had been the dress it's self that tore Eric's heart out, she thought about calling him but the sun shining through the windows told her he was probably resting for the day and she figured even if he was awake he wouldn't answer if she called.

The day stretched on as Sookie lay in bed alone on what was supposed to be her wedding day, she had been crying for hours sure when Eric came home he would tell her the wedding was off and send her and the girls back to Bon Temps never wanting to see her again. 'She should wear her hair up today that would look so gorgeous with her dress' the words floated through her head as she pulled the blanket tighter around her body, this voice was familiar to her it was Amelia's and she was coming to help Sookie get ready for her big day.

Amelia had stepped in quickly to help Arlene with the Maid of Honor duties since Sookie was counting on Arlene to handle managing the bar as well, the two of them had been working together so well staying on top of everything so that her wedding day would be perfect. Sookie pictured their faces as she told them all of their hard work was for nothing because she had lied to Eric and broken his heart leaving her without a groom, the thought of telling them made a pain shoot through her chest but it was the thought of Eric not loving her that took her breath away.

Sookie felt her chest getting tight and the room started to spin as she set up in bed trying to force the air into her lungs, "Sookie were here" Amelia knocked on the door lightly and Sookie caught a flash of her thoughts as she pictured Eric giving her the gift they had been working on for months now. Like Eric Amelia imagined Sookie excited at the thought of having a baby she pictured the two of them smiling and holding each other close as they celebrated the gift together, the image was so different from the reality and the last of the air in Sookie's body swooshed out as she collapsed onto the floor.


	25. Chapter 25

Amelia heard the thump through the door and screamed for Arlene who was in the kitchen making coffee for the bride "what she came running down the hall with the coffee pot still in her hand, Amelia pounded on the locked door screaming for Sookie to open it "do something" she squealed looking back at Arlene who still didn't understand what was going on. Immediate Arlene lifted the medal coffee pot over her head and slammed it down on the door handle busting it into pieces, the two of them rushed through the door screaming at the sight of Sookie lying face down on the floor.

"What's wrong with her Arlene yelled waving her hands back and forth unsure of how to help, " she's not breathing" Amelia cried out pulling Sookie's limp body onto her lap "911 911 " Arlene yelled over and over as she searched for a phone. Amelia tilted Sookie's head back blowing into her mouth twice before pressing on her chest several times, she had no idea how to do CPR but she had seen it done on Television lots of times so she continued blowing and pressing over and over until Sookie sucked in air on her own.

Arlene jumped dropping the phone and running to aid Amelia with the now breathing Sookie and the two of them rolled her onto her side rubbing her head and back as they waited for her to open her eyes, "is this a fairy thing" Arlene blurted out in short breaths. "She told me once before that when Bill had almost drained her they couldn't give her blood at the hospital because of the fairy thing is this one of those fairy things," Amelia sat in awe looking up at the redheaded woman "no I don't think this is a fairy thing Arlene" she said slowly so that she would understand.

The two women lifted Sookie onto the bed pulling the cover up around her and watching silently as she slept, Arlene questioned if they should call an ambulance just to be safe but reassured Amelia several times that if this was a fairy thing they wouldn't be able to help anyway. Amelia was just about fed up with Arlene's when Sookie started to move around in bed, "Sookie Hun is you ok" they both moved closer to the bed "Arlene this is not a fairy thing" Sookie mumbled still dazed "oh thank heavens Sookie you had us terrified what would Eric do if you died on your wedding day.

Sookie's eyes popped open red and blood shot from crying last night and earlier that day they started to burn as she thought of the hurt in Eric's face again, "there is no wedding I ruined it all" she cried throwing herself back down on the bed. "What" Amelia said sliding into bed next to her heart broken friend "what do you mean you ruined it all didn't you like your gift?" Sookie laughed "my gift the gift where I have a baby and it's a freak like me who is stuck listening to other peoples disgusting thoughts for the rest of it life,"

Arlene looked at the two of them confused "well good thing your marrying a vampire they can't make babies" she said in a failed attempt to make things better, Sookie glared at her unsure if she was kidding "the gift was having a baby with Eric". She sobbed into her pillow leaving Arlene with a head full of questions that Sookie was too tired to ward off "yes Arlene Amelia is a witch, yes she came up with a spell, yes I turned him down and yes he was so angry that he left and now he won't want to marry me".

"I'm just gonna go make some coffee" Arlene said leaving the room feeling sorry she had wanted to know, Sookie cried into her pillow while Amelia sat silently trying to think of a way to calm her down "are you sure the wedding is off" Sookie snapped her head up to look her friend in the face "are you serious" . "Hear me out Sookie Eric loves you and you guys have been through hell and back with the girls, I just don't see him throwing it all away over a baby".

Sookie knew Amelia didn't fully understand she wasn't there to see the anger and hurt that he felt knowing that months ago she had agreed to have his child and the only reason she had agreed so quickly was because she never thought it would happen. "I told him I would I lied to him" Sookie started to cry harder burying her face deeper into the pillow, Amelia smiled shaking her head at her friend "did he say the wedding was off" she didn't answer "Sookie did he say he wouldn't marry you".

"No he didn't but" Amelia clamped her hand over Sookie's mouth "No he didn't he was mad, hurt and sad yes but he didn't say the wedding was off so go get into the shower and then you can explain to me why I found you half dead on the floor". Amelia got up from the bed and left the room without saying another word and immediately flipped her cell phone open dialing Eric's number, "Northman this is Amelia what the fuck happened last night I have a bride here who thinks not only the wedding but your whole relationship is over as soon as you get this I want an explanation".

Amelia flipped her phone shut and listened for the sound of the shower to start when it finally did she went to work plugging in curlers and styling wands and lining up make up along the counter just to have something to do. Arlene hadn't said much since Sookie read her thoughts out loud and Amelia could tell she was really worried that she might say the wrong thing, "come here Arlene" she held her arms out to hug the redheaded woman hoping it would ease the tension between the group and thankfully it did because a few minutes later Sookie came sulking in from the bedroom.

"I'm not putting on that dress not until I talk to Eric I won't be one of those woman standing around waiting in front of all those people like a fool" she slumped her body in the chair between Amelia and Arlene and started dabbing her eyes with a tissue. There were still a few hours until sunset and a few hours after that before the wedding and Amelia's only hope was Eric getting her message and calling her back before she loaded Sookie into the car and drove to the church, "so Sookie I was thinking your hair would look so beautiful up with the style of dress you picked what do you think?"

Sookie shrugged and went back to patting her eyes hoping the redness and swelling from her tears would go down, she sat thinking about what Amelia said and she was right Eric would have told her that he wasn't going to marry her he would have been blunt about it especially since he was already so angry. Sookie felt silly fretting whether or not he was going to show up he had spent months making sure everything was perfect for their big day, 'of course he will show up he won't want to look bad in front of his vampire friends, he will just leave you after so he looks good'.

Sookie jumped in her seat looking from Amelia to Arlene searching their head trying to figure out which of the two had made the rude comment, she dug through their heads finding Arlene worrying over flowers and center pieces while Amelia fretted over trying to match up her eye shadow with the color on Eric's tux. She could tell they were trying not to think negative thoughts so she wouldn't panic and freak out again ruining the makeup Arlene had started to apply, it was a few minutes until sun set and once pam showed up it would be time to put on her dress and take pictures but Sookie was still refusing to go near the dress until she had talked to Eric.

She sat in the yard at the empty table under the tent, she had no clue who had cleared the table last night but she was sure it had been arranged to be done by Eric before she had ruined their night. The night air blew around her face as she listened to the crickets chirp around the yard and she could feel herself drifting off to sleep as she leaned her head back in the chair, she had always felt comfortable outdoors and it had become a habit of her to doze off when she felt comfortable.

Pam cleared her throat as she tapped Sookie's shoulder making her eyes shoot open in shock "this is no time to sleep Eric will be pissed if were late" she turned and walked toward the house expecting to be followed, "Pam" Sookie said in a soft voice knowing she would hear her. "What" she didn't have turn to look at Eric's progeny she had known her for two years and she could tell by the tone in her voice that she was irritated and standing with her hand on her hip waiting for Sookie's question, "Is he ok" Pam paused for a minute before answering and she knew she was looking for the right words to say.

"He is getting married today that's all I know" Sookie smiled as she turned to follow Pam in the house, the excitement had begun Eric still wanted to marry her and he would still love her even if she didn't want to have a baby. Sookie rushed to the bedroom unzipping the large garment bag that hung in the back of the walk in closet and she stood in the center of the room as Pam helped her into the dress without disturbing a hair on her head, it was time for pictures and Sookie knew they needed to be quick her nap in the yard had wasted time and she knew how important it was not to be late.

Once the pictures were done and the piled into the limo to head to the church Sookie started to panic again, Pam had only said that Eric was still willing to marry her today but what if the voice in her head was right and he was only marrying her because he didn't want to look bad in front of the AVL and the other vampires. She could feel her hands start to shake and her eyes had started to burn as the tears welled up in them what if he didn't love her anymore could she see her life without him, Amelia could see the anxiety building in her body and she nudged Pam who was looking out the window oblivious to the humans in the car.

She looked over at Sookie smacking her lips together in frustration "damn humans what now" Sookie refused to look at her afraid to see the answer to her worst fears written in Pam's face, "oh Christ Sookie he loves you he's marrying you and he wanted you to have his baby that's a lot for Eric so knock it off". Sookie's head snapped up as a surge of anxiety that wasn't hers shot through her body and then she was flooded with love fear, Eric was just as scared as she was that he would be standing alone in front of all those people he was horrified that he had been so angry with her the night before their wedding.

"Give me your phone" Sookie snapped her fingers at Pam and she scoffed at her refusing to hand it over so Sookie reached for her bag pulling out the phone and hitting one to dial Eric, "Yes Pam" his voice was shaking and still it gave her chills through her entire body "I love you Eric" Sookie said as confidant as she would have before the fight that she thought ruined them. Eric laughed nervously into the phone "I love you too Sookie and you're running late", Sookie flipped the phone shut and couldn't help but grin all the way to the church.


	26. Chapter 26

Sookie knew her and Eric still had a lot to talk about, she needed to explain to him why she felt the way she did about having a baby it wasn't that she wouldn't love to have a child of her own with Eric but she was terrified to pass on her telepathy and put her child at risk of having a horrible childhood like hers.

The wedding day was her and everything was perfect Sookie waited in the bridal room of the chapel with Jason and her bridesmaids Pam Arlene and Amelia and when she heard the music start and it was time to walk down the aisle all she could think of was how much she loved the man waiting at the other end.

Tears formed in Jason's eyes as he handed her over to Eric so much had changed in the last year and a half for both of them and she knew he was wishing gran and their parents could have been there as much as she was, Sookie handed her flowers to Pam as she took Eric's hand and the two of them recited their vows committing their lives to each other for as long as they both shall live.

Sookie smiled at Eric when they repeated that part remembering a silly conversation in bed where she had asked Eric if they should change that part, "it seems unfair" she said giggling "you obviously will live much longer than me" she knew she was being silly but at that moment she was picturing Eric sitting alone surrounded by their great grandchildren pining for her.

The I do's were done and the two of them made it official with a kiss as the preacher introduced them as Mr. and Mrs. Northman, Eric beamed at the sound of it and only Sookie knew why. Eric had explained to her before that he had been married in his human life and he had even fathered children even though none of them had lived but before he had had the chance to experience being a husband or father fully he was sent away to war where Godric found him half dead and turned him.

And suddenly Sookie felt even ore horrible about last night, she realized she had given him false hope telling him that he had a second chance to be a father and them taking it away without even talking to him about her fears and giving him the chance to be her husband and put her mind at ease.

"I'm sorry" she said sitting next to her husband in the town car on the way to their reception, Eric looked down at her and smiled but she wasn't sure if he really understood what she was sorry for "its ok wife" Eric said leaning in to kiss her. Sookie held her hands against his chest stopping their lips from touching "no Eric I'm sorry for" Eric put his finger over her lips stopping her from finishing her sentence "Later" he said as the car pulled to a stop.

Sookie wanted so badly to tell him she understood now why it was so important for him to have a family it was the only thing he was never able to do even before his thousand years as a vampire but he stepped out of the car pulling her along with him. A crowd of people surrounded them immediately both vampire and human they couldn't wait to congratulate them on their marriage, Sookie clung to Eric not recognizing anyone that approached them she was beginning to feel over whelmed.

"Eric who are these people" the church had been packed that much she remembered but she was so busy looking at the man she was marrying that she hadn't noticed the rows and rows of people that she had never seen before "they are friend and colleagues of mine" he answered shaking another strangers hand.

Halfway through the crowd Sookie hadn't seen one person that she knew and she was starting to wonder if Eric had forgotten a few invitations when they stepped into an opening in the crowed and she saw the lavish table marked family that held everyone important to her.

The rest of the evening was exciting as Eric held on to her tight wondering around the party showing off his new wife, Sookie couldn't believe she could ever be this happy but something deep inside made her wonder was it all real. Eric had been so angry the night before in all the time she had known him she couldn't remember him ever looking at her the way he did, was it possible for him to forgive her that easily and the way he hushed her in the car was that him just ignoring the problem so the wedding wouldn't be ruined or did he just love her that much.

Eric arms wrapped tight around her guiding her around the room kissing her neck in the special spot that made her whole body tingle but her heart was aching inside, Eric felt the building through their bond when Sookie excused herself pulling her body free from Eric and walking through the crowd without looking back.

'What if he doesn't love me, what if this is all a show for the hundreds of guest that he invited to witness them get married' Sookie made her way to the bathroom grabbing another glass of champagne from a tray as she passed. Her wedding day was supposed to be perfect waltzing with Eric and celebrating with all of the people they loved and here she was spending it in the bathroom downing champagne and wondering if her husband still loved her.

She swilled the last of the champagne in her glass and straightened herself out in the mirror 'it's all fake you're a publicity stunt don't you know that' Sookie shook her head pushing the horrible thought from her mind, she washed her hands and straightened her dress refusing to listen to what she thought was her conscience. Sookie returned to the reception pretending nothing was wrong she danced and drank hoping the party would never end and she wouldn't have to find out it was all fake.

"Where have you been" Eric appeared behind her as she swung around the dance floor with Lafayette and Amelia, "sick of me already" he joked holding his hand across her chest as if his heart would break at the thought. Sookie rolled her eyes giggling before turning back to Amelia, Eric wrapped his arms around her pulling her near he could feel the stress between them and he was pretty sure what was causing it but wasn't sure how to fix it.

"I love you wife" he whispered in her ear pulling her tight to his body, Sookie rolled her eyes again squirming to break free from his hold and dance. "I love you too Eric" she kissed his cheek hoping he would give her some distance before she broke down and told him what she was really thinking, "I can't wait to get you home and" Sookie couldn't take it anymore she leaned back against his chest looking up at him "can't wait to get me home so you can what" her attitude was present in her words.

"Did you really want to marry me today or was it just too much work to cancel it all" she looked up into his eyes watching for his reaction, Eric's arms dropped from around his wife he knew Sookie was drunk but was she that drunk. He couldn't believe she really thought that his marrying her was a show "Sookie how could you think that" Sookie placed her fingers over his mouth "shhh Later husband" and she walked away leaving him standing in the middle of the dance floor stunned.

Sookie walked to the bar and ordered a gin and tonic it wasn't her usual drink but it was one of the only drinks she knew she could keep down, sipping her drink slowly she looked around the reception admiring all the tiny details she hadn't noticed before. Eric had done most of the planning so she was shocked to see the room was filled with all of her favorite things, the tables were draped with purple cloth and not just any purple but the exact color of she had told him had always reminded her of her Gran.

The flowers that scattered around the room were pink roses like the ones she had groomed in her front yard as a child, tears started to fill her eyes when she noticed that even the food was catered to fit her. Sookie suddenly started to feel sick, yes Eric had invited tons of people she had never met and yes he was upset with her for lying about having his baby but as she looked around the room she realized he had planned her dream wedding and without her having to say a word.

He knew her and loved her and she had spent one of the most important days of their life together sulking and thinking he had an ulterior motive, Sookie searched the room for her husband hoping she could find him and salvage what was left of their wedding day. "Have you seen Eric" she asked Amelia as she circled the room for the third time "not for a while but he looked upset is everything ok" Sookie hugged her friend realizing that she had been so wrapped up In her own mess that she hadn't even thanked her for everything she had done .

"Thank you so much Amelia for everything" Sookie didn't wait for a reply quickly turning from her friend she stumbled off to search for Eric again, "Eric" "Eric" she yelled through the crowed not caring about the fact that the whole room was looking at her like she had lost her mind. "Sookie your drunk" Lafayette laughed as she walked by him for the fifth time yelling Eric's name "girl he probably just getting some air" "air" Sookie repeated running toward the entrance to the enormous tent, she ran out into the night air stumbling over her own feet "Eric" she cried out hoping she hadn't ruined everything.

"You're gonna freeze" he whispered from over her shoulder "oh god Eric" she turned throwing her arms around him," I thought you left me." he could smell the alcohol on her breath as she leaned upward covering his face with kisses "I love you so much I'm sorry", Eric steadied her on her feet leaning away from her searching lips "know you love me, you have spent the last two days torturing me and now you love me, what's changed?"

Eric stepped back from her pulling his jacket off and wrapping it around her shoulders "changed, torture, what are you talking about?" Eric's eyes seemed to gleam in the light and Sookie finally noticed the pink streaks running down his cheeks. "Eric you don't understand I, I'm just, we," the ground started to spin underneath of her "I'm going to be sick" she said falling to her knees on the ground in front of him.

Eric looked down at the woman he loved and he couldn't help but want to go to her to scoop her up and make everything better but he refused, she hadn't been honest with him lately and that was not how he wanted to start their marriage "Sookie you lied to me." she looked up at him "oh and you have never lied to me" Eric thought about her comment for a minute and he realized yes he had lied but never about something that would hurt her. Eric figured his lies were only to keep her safe but he knew that was wrong a lie was a lie, "I did but not about something that would hurt you" Sookie knew it she was right she had hurt him.

"Eric I'm sorry you're right I should have talked to you, I should have told you I was scared to have a child, I should have been honest" Eric looked down at her laying in the grass with her face pressed against the cool dirt and he couldn't help but smile at sight of her. "Sookie hold on to me" she tried to hold her head up and look him in the eye "Eric I am sorry" she said dropping her head and passing out, Eric her into his arms cradling her as close to him as physically possible and took off flying through the air and taking her home.

Sookie woke up just before dawn her eyes still heavy with alcohol she pressed her face to Eric's chest enjoying the coolness of his skin "Eric" she whispered into the tiny hairs that covered the spot where his heart would have beat if he were human, "yes wife" she could tell by the tone in his voice that he was smiling "how would it work." Eric was confused by her question "how would what work" she lifted her head slightly to look into his eyes, "my wedding present, how would it work" Eric spent the next half an hour explaining the necromancy spell Amelia and her coven had found.

"So you will be alive for one night?" she said picturing the sound of his heart beating and the feeling of him breathing beside her, "That's what she told me" he mumbled kissing the top of her head.

"Eric" she said stroking his chest

"Yes wife"

"can you keep our baby safe?"


	27. Chapter 27

Sookie woke the next afternoon fully aware that she had enjoyed herself way to much the night before; she couldn't believe she had ruined their wedding night by dinking herself into a stupor and taking out her own insecurities on Eric. She was also aware that after making a scene and acting like an ass she agreed to have a baby with him and her stomach was in knot ever since, hours later Sookie lay curled in Eric's arms his cool body the only thing keeping the room from spinning out of control and the gentle stroke of his hand on her hair slowly wiping away her anxiety.

It didn't take long for her to feel at ease in his arms and it was a relief to finally have the chance to explain why she was so terrified by the thought of having a child of her own, once she explained that passing on her telepathy to their child and having him or her grow up feeling like a pariah in the world not to mention the risks of the supernatural world it was easier for him to understand why she was so afraid.

"Do you want a boy of or a girl" Sookie asked feeling more comfortable with the situation

"Boy" Eric didn't hesitate, I need another man around the house and Lafayette doesn't count her said jokingly.

"Would we name him Eric?" Sookie smiled as she pictured a tiny blonde haired little boy terrorizing the girls

"Godric" he said the name with pride silently telling her that naming his child after his maker was important to him,

"Godric Northman" the sound of her uttering the name put a smile on Eric's face.

Eric had told her before that he didn't remember much of his father the Viking king after so many years had passed and he had accepted that his rebirth as a vampire was his life long ago and that meant his maker Godric was not only his maker but father, brother, and friend. Sookie knew Eric remember more than he had let on about his human life but she understood how hard it must be to live knowing everything and everyone you knew and loved no longer existed so she didn't push him for details about it.

"When do we" she asked as Eric lay propped on his side rubbing her stomach

"Tomorrow night" he whispered kissing her gently before climbing out of bed and heading to the cellar to rest for the day.

Sookie hated that he couldn't stay In bed with her all day after all it was their first day as man and wife and it had been days since they had had sex, she moaned as she watched him walk out of the room her heart filling with sadness remembering what she had put him through the night before. "I love you" she whispered knowing he would hear her as he made his way down into the cellar and she quickly fell back to sleep.

The air in the room felt thick and it was so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face but Sookie managed to guide herself out of the pitch black room and toward the light at the end of the hall as if she knew where she was going, voices echoed around her bickering somewhere in the light. She walked closer and closer unable to hear what all the fuss was about the voices sounded familiar but different to her as if she had heard them before but somehow they were changed, Sookie moved closer still to the sounds coming from the light when suddenly she could understand what they were talking about.

'They want my baby' the thought screeched through her brain as she turned and started running as far away from the light as she could, her heart was pounded as she ran down the endless hall toward the darkness hoping that her presence was a secret to the voices in the light. Her hands grasped at the walls searching for a door, a window, a way out of the darkness but nothing was in reach just the endless stretch of darkness that seemed to cover everything around her, the voices were quiet now and she was sure it wasn't a good thing they knew she was there now and she pushed harder running faster and faster toward nothing.

"Eric" Sookie screamed into the darkness praying he would keep his word and protect her and their child but no one answered only the sounds of heavy footsteps pounding toward her filled her ears, Sookie knew this was a dream she knew she wasn't even pregnant yet Eric had just left her to rest for the day and soon she would wake up but still she couldn't stop her heart from racing and her legs from running. "Sookie" a voice came from behind her making her skin crawl over her entire body afraid to look back over her shoulder she could feel the air leaving her body as she left her feet and fell into the blackness.

Her body jerked as she shot up in bed "Eric" she screamed again rubbing the haze from her eyes as she adjusted to the light that surrounded her, the clock on the wall in her bedroom told her it would still be several hours before Eric would be waking for the day. She knew there was no way she would be able to fall back to sleep after the nightmare that had just woke her and her stomach was telling her that she needed to eat so she walked to the kitchen and cooked herself something to eat while she called and checked on the girls.

Sam and Sara had seemed to be disappointed that they were spending the entire weekend with their uncle Jason, not that they didn't love spending the time with Jason and his family but they had been hoping to stay with Arlene and play with Kobe and Lisa. Sookie had been spending so much time with Arlene planning the wedding that the four kids had gotten really close but she was sure the four of them together would be a lot for Arlene and Terri to handle and still keep things under control at the bar.

The phone rang twice before Sam's perky little voice answered full of excitement "Mom guess what" Sookie couldn't help but laugh "well hello and I miss you too" Sam sucked her teeth on the other line before giggling, "really guess what" Sookie caved "what."

"Uncle Jason went and got Kobe and Lisa so we can have a sleep over tonight and its gonna be great" the twins took their turns conveying their excitement over the phone before Sookie got a chance to thank Jason for being such a wonderful uncle and brother. The conversation didn't last long and to Sookie's disappointment they were saying their goodbyes and once again she was alone with her thoughts, she thought of the endless options of things she could get done with a full day alone but the thought of completing any one task left her feeling drained so she decided on a long hot bath instead.

The water was warm and relaxing as Sookie lay back pulling a hot towel over her face, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed and to be honest she was pretty sure it was some time before she met her first vampire but still it was shocking to her that not even the thought of what was going to happen later that night was bothering her. Her arms floated in the water around her as her breast rose and fell with the pattern of her heart beat and before she knew it every muscle in her body felt relaxed.

She focused on the relaxing rhythm of her breathing, in and out slowly filling her chest with air sucking in as much of the moist steam as she became more and more relaxed by the minute. Almost instantly her body started to feel heavy as if someone was sitting on her chest pushing her under the water, Sookie's eyes burst open seeing no one but feeling the water as it flowed in her lungs. She panicked reaching for the sides of the tub wanting to pull her heavy body out of the water but feeling her grip slip with each effort, as a last effort her hands found the soap dish yanking her water filled body to the surface choking on the water she had inhaled on the way up.

She coughed and heaved the water from her body as she jumped from the tub throwing herself onto the bathroom floor "damn it" she yelled out sucking in as much air as she could behind the two breathless words, Sookie laid in the middle of the floor shaken and confused unable to believe she had fallen asleep so easily in the bath tub. She told herself it was her nerves and lack of sleep thanks to the horrible nightmare earlier but she had been tired before and had never fallen asleep in a bath, she knew somewhere deep inside that something was wrong with her and she was terrified to be alone for one more minute.

Sookie pushed herself off of the bathroom floor wrapping her fuzzy white robe around her before she headed to the cellar where Eric went to rest for the day; she quietly pulled the heavy door open and climbed down the cold metal ladder expecting to find Eric asleep in the oversized platform bed. As she reached the bottom of the ladder and started to turn her heart leapt into her throat as she let out an ear piercing scream, what she wasn't expecting was a fully nude Vampire to be standing at the bottom of the ladder waiting for her.

Eric cupped his hands on each side of her face pulling her lips to his hushing her screams and she felt her body relax as she leaned into him enjoying the cool caress of his lips against hers before pulling back and slapping her hands against his bare chest "you scared the hell out of me." Eric smiled at her kissing the palms of her hands "I'm sorry I couldn't sleep with you screaming my name" Sookie looked at him confused until she remembered the nightmare and yelling for him to save her, she wanted to tell Eric about her dream but as she started to speak his lips pressed firmly against hers again this time conveying his need to be with her.

Without hesitation she leapt into his arms wrapping her legs around his waist as his hands wandered over her body he wanted her and the way she pressed herself against him panting she let him know she wanted him too, it had been too long since they had been together and Sookie could feel the excitement in herself now that they were man and wife. Eric carried her across the room laying her on the bed slowly pulling his lips away from hers "I love you Sookie," something in his voice was different she had heard him tell her he loved her many times but this time was different it sparked something inside of her.

Sookie looked into his eyes and watched as one red tear slowly rolled down his cheek "Eric let's do it now" she whispered wiping the tear from his cheek, his eyes grew wide and he searched her face for any sings of doubt but when he looked at her she seemed as sure as he was. "Do we have to wait until night, or can we do now?" Sookie asked again still unsure of how the spell Amelia had come up with worked, Eric smiled at her kissing her deeper and more passionate than ever before.

Without hesitation he walked over to the clothes he had tossed onto a chair in the corner of the room and pulled a tiny vile of clear liquid out of his pants pocket opened it and paused to look back over his shoulder at his wife before downing the potion Amelia had conjured. Amelia told Eric that the spell would only work if he and Sookie were both sure it was what they wanted and all he needed to do was drink the potion and somehow it would make it possible for them to have a child, Eric swallowed every drop of liquid in the vile and waited to feel whatever was supposed to happen and when he felt no change he turned to Sookie with a smirk and shrugged his shoulders.

They had both been expecting some sort of explosion or glowing light to beam from his hands and they were left feeling silly when they realized none of that was going to happen, they laughed as Eric walked toward her still looking over his body for anything that might be different and still nothing seemed to change. Sookie reached up wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him on to her and kissing his cool lips, seconds later they both froze unsure if what they were feeling was real "Is this possible" Eric's voice broke the silence.

He looked down at her waiting for her response but she just stared at him in shock from the sudden change, Eric's cool lips were now warm and supple his skin was warm to the touch. Sookie pressed her hand to his sculpted chest and gasped as she felt his heart beat "oh my gosh" she whispered as her eyes locked with his "your heart is beating," Sookie ran her finger across his lips and up over the rosy blush that covered his cheeks watching as a single salty tear fell from his eyes Eric was alive warm blooded and beating heart he was alive.


	28. Chapter 28

Sookie ran her finger across his lips and up over the rosy blush that covered his cheeks watching as a single salty tear fell from his eyes Eric was alive warm blooded and beating heart he was alive.

A smile spread across Sookie's face she had dreamt of this moment many times waking up feeling utterly guilty that she could want Eric to be any way other than he was, she loved her vampire Viking but she had always wondered what it would be like to have sex with someone who's body tempter was above ninety degrees. Unsure of how it would feel or if it would affect the way it felt for him Sookie suddenly became nervous as if it was her first time and she was a virgin terrified of the pain that would come with the deflowering when suddenly Eric kissed her and her fears melted away.

"I love you" he whispered pressing his warm body against hers closing the space between them, Eric felt his heart beating in his chest it was pounding with nerves and excitement and he wasn't sure if he should tell her how terrified he was at that moment or if it would ruin it for her to remind her that he hadn't had sex as a human in centuries. Though was confident that as a vampire he was a more than suitable lover he couldn't remember his sex life as a human all that well, Eric took a deep breath before kissing her again pressing his lips against hers trying to ignore the knot in his stomach.

Her reaction to his touch excited him as he moved his lips down her neck dragging his teeth along her flesh out of habit as he caressed her thighs and pressed his growing bulge against her warmth making her shake under his touch, her anxiety growing with every kiss she couldn't bear the anticipation she met his hips with hers wiggling her hips as he grinded. The ache between her thighs was too much something took over her and she found herself reaching between his legs taking his thickness in her hand and stroking as she nibbled on his shoulder hoping he would get the hint and ravish her.

Sookie was use to a cocky Eric who had always taken charge in and out of the bedroom she wanted him to ravish her like he had done many times before, she looked into his eyes the crystal blue she found there was different from before there was a softness that took her breath away. Sookie closer her eyes listening to his breath catch in his throat and his heart start to race, the human sounds Eric was making excited her more than she could have imagined she had never had that effect on a man before and it made her feel powerful and sexy.

Her grip tightened around his member eagerly guiding him toward her warmth she was ready for him and the deeper he breathed the more she wanted him inside of her, Eric's body stiffened shocked by her actions but thoroughly turned on he pressed forward following her lead as she guided him deep inside of her pulsing warmth. Sookie's body jerked as Eric moaned into her ear her warmth felt wonderful around his stiff manhood as he pushed every inch inside, his breath caught in his throat he gripped the sheets around her hesitating to move his human senses intensifying the sensation he hovered inside of her taking it in.

"Eric" she moaned running her tongue along his lips snapping him out of his trance Sookie giggled as she realized he was as nervous as her, pressing his shoulders back she rolled on top of him hoping to ease the nerves both of them were feeling and it worked as she rocked back and forth slowly watching as he bit down on his bottom lip letting her know he was enjoying her. Sookie shook with every movement Eric filling her perfectly as she wiggled her hips making tiny circles as she grinded down on him panting and clawing at his chest, feeling like he was ready to burst Eric gripped Sookie's thighs rolling her onto her back her legs resting on his shoulders.

Sookie gasped and moaned gripped his arms as he pounded into her eager to feel her climax around his manhood, Sookie screamed out gripping his arms digging her nails in as she shook all exciting him again he continued to push deep inside until the two of them collapsed onto each other enjoying the aftershocks of their human love making, "that was" Eric said questioning the experience. "That was Amazing" Sookie blurted out smiling as she watched the relief wash over his face "how was it for you" she asked hoping he was as satisfied as she was, Eric looked up at her brushing the hair away from her face "are you kidding me" he said laughing at the fact that she felt she even needed to ask.

"I am human again and weather it last an hour or a day this is how I want to spend it" he kissed her before rolling onto his side propping himself up on his arm next to her, they laid in bed both silently enjoying the human intimacy that they had never had with each other before Eric drawing tiny circles on her flat stomach as she stroked his hair. "Do you think it worked" Sookie said placing her hand on his chest still amazed by the beating that came from inside, Eric smiled down at her lifting his hand to cup her face and kiss her soft lips before answering.

"Amelia didn't tell me how it would work but I assume it will take a few weeks to find out" Eric said misunderstanding her question, Sookie laughed dropping her head back on the pillow "I know how that works" she said rolling her eyes. Sookie still couldn't believe this was possible she had told herself years ago when she fallen in love with Bill that having children was just something that wasn't in the cards for her and now here she was with her vampire husband raising two children and possible making one of her own, she refused to get too excited about the possibility of a baby but when she was completely honest she couldn't wait to find out if Amelia's spell had worked.

After a few minutes of talking about the future Sookie couldn't help but pull Eric closer and whisper into his ear letting him know she was ready to go again and they did over and over until she passed out both satisfied and exhausted. She had no clue how long she had slept but when woke up rolling over reaching her hand out across the bed searching for Eric she was surprised to not find him there, sitting up rubbing her eyes Sookie realized she was above ground in her bedroom tucked neatly in her bed and her heart sank in her chest as she wondered 'was it all a dream.

Looking out the window the bright orange and pink that cast across the sky told her that it was late and though she thought she spent the better half of her day in bed making love to her now human vampire Viking husband she was left feeling confused and lonely. Positive she had dreamt the whole thing Sookie bounced off to the bathroom for a quick shower before she went off looking for Eric, she washed slowly letting the hot water run over her body as she remembered the warmth of Eric's skin and the beating of his heart against her back as he held her close and she wondered if their sex life would ever be the same.

Sookie was sure she was sexually satisfied by Eric before but earlier that morning she not only enjoyed the sex but the way his body felt against hers and it scared her that she would enjoy Eric being human, what if it changed the way she felt about him Sookie started to panic quickly turning off the shower and searching the house for Eric. She yelled through the house as she checked each empty rooms with no signs of him "Eric" she yelled as he opened the glass doors to find him standing in the back yard watching the sky grow darker, he rushed toward her with a concerned look on his face, "what's wrong" he whispered wrapping his cool arms around her and Sookie looked up at him as she started to cry.

"You're a vampire" she sobbed as Eric looked down at her confused by what she was saying "was it real, was I dreaming" Eric finally understood what she was talking about, once she had fallen asleep after their afternoon of love making Eric had carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed all the while wondering if things would be the same between them after being with him as a human would Sookie still want him as a vampire. Eric pulled her in closer kissing the top of her head and trying to think of the words to explain what both of them were feeling, "Sookie its ok, I know" but her sobs stopped her from hearing his words and she continued to cry into his chest.

Eric held her until she calmed neither of them speaking afraid their words would start the tears again, her sobs quieted and she wiped the last tear from her face letting Eric know it was safe to talk "it was real Sookie and I'm scared too but," Sookie cut him short wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his she knew there was only one way to put her fears to rest and as she pushed Eric to the floor grinding on top of him she was determined to do just that. Three hours later Sookie lay smiling up at the ceiling feeling at ease as she stroked the tiny hairs along Eric cool chest "I'm sorry" she said kissing his neck, Eric didn't reply just holding her and knowing she still loved him was enough.

"It's only been nine days" Sookie yelled through the bathroom door at Arlene "well I've seen that shade of green three times in my life and their names are Lisa, Colby and Mikey so take a test already, Sookie had never been pregnant before so she had no clue what she should or would be feeling all she knew was the last four days had been the weirdest of her life. Eric laughed when she ate a whole jar of pickles for breakfast and the girls thought she was sick when she kept falling asleep on their bedroom floor while they were playing and the nausea always came at the weirdest times but the worst thing was the constant need to be close to Eric.

It wasn't her usual wanting him around and it seemed to grow stronger each day, the constant discomfort when the sun was in the sky and he was resting for the day made her feel drained and distracted, Sookie found herself looking for reasons not leave the house and even spent her free time laying in the cellar cuddling up next to his cool body as he rested. She hadn't told Eric about the strange need to be in his presence but he was noticing the not so subtle things like her weird diet and mood swings, everyone had noticed the change in her personality but most stood ignoring her tears of rants while Arlene seemed to the only one calling her out.

"Three days Arlene my doctors apt is in three days she argued back through the door, She wasn't completely against taking a home pregnancy test in fact she had already taken one without telling anyone and as she read the instructions realizing it was negative she cried hysterically in the Wal-Mart bathroom. Even though every sign was there and everyone around her was convinced she was pregnant the test said she wasn't and until she knew otherwise she couldn't stand to disappoint Eric especially since they moved back into her childhood home and Eric had arranged the bedrooms to fit the girls and a new addition.

Sookie tried going on with her day being normal was something she had gotten good at faking in her life but everything in her body wanted to go home and just be near Eric, Sookie watched the clock unable to focus on the paper work that was stacked up in front of her when the smell of cabbage filled the air making the tiny office nearly unbearable. She pushed the papers aside laying her head on her desk preparing to fight off yet another rush of nausea when she felt the buzz of a familiar brain, a knock at the office door confirmed what she thought and the sound of Hattie May's voice was like knives in her ears.

Her eyes drifted to the calendar as she stood heading for the door, it was about this time every month the alcoholic mother of her best friend would show up ranting and raving about her concern for her grandchildren and how they were being raised. Sookie knew the end result was that Hattie was here to ask for money again; somehow Tara's mother felt that when Sookie took on raising the girls she took on supporting her too but today was a bad day and she was definitely not in the mood.

"I'm not giving you cash Hattie so what do you want" her words took the woman by surprise, Sookie normally played along letting her pour out her issues before feeling sorry for her and giving her money to get her out of the bar but the last four days had left her feeling drained and completely out of patients. Hattie disregarded Sookie's warning following her behind the bar stomping her feet and swinging her arms as she went drawing the attention of the entire Bar, "you can't be back here mam" Terri tried to intervene only making things worse.

"You know what I want Sookie I want my granddaughters away from that monster, he has killed my whole family" Sookie turned shocked by her words she stood listening to her rant feeling embarrassed and angry, "Tara wanted me to raise those babies, she wanted them with family not a nut job and her vampire boyfriend." Sookie stared at the woman who had tortured her daughter since birth and her anger started to boil up inside of her, she knew Hattie was a drunk but now she realized she was completely out of her effing mind "shut up" Sookie screamed throwing her hands up and stepping toward the booze soaked big mouth, "I have given you money because I felt sorry for you but I am done" she shoved Hattie toward the door "Tara hated you and if you show your face around here again it won't be the monster who kills you" Sookie slammed the door shut behind her. She kept her back to the bar her mind quickly becoming over loaded by the thoughts of the room behind her and she found herself swooning as another bout of nausea twisted in her gut, Sookie tried to focus she needed her walls up at this moment but no matter how hard she tried the annoying thoughts of the people around her pounded in her mind.

Without thinking Sookie pushed the bar door open stepping out into the warm air hoping for silence and control, she took a few deep breaths as she walked to her car she knew she could handle this she knew that she of she gave herself a few minutes she would be able to go back inside and face the rumor mill again but every nerve in her body ached to be near Eric. Sookie drove down Humming Bird Lane slowly enjoying the warms sun as it filled the car but even that couldn't stop the need for Eric, she jumped from the car key in her hand she rushed into the house stripping away her uniform and climbing into bed with Eric in the light tight room where everything felt right again.


	29. Chapter 29

Sookie drove down Humming Bird Lane slowly enjoying the warms sun as it filled the car but even that couldn't stop the need for Eric, she jumped from the car key in her hand she rushed into the house stripping away her uniform and climbing into bed with Eric in the light tight room where everything felt right again.

She couldn't help but feel crazy as she lay there next to Eric going over her day in her head, though stressful it wasn't the worst she had experienced but still she couldn't understand why just being near Eric made her feel calmer than she had since leaving the house earlier that morning. As she sat poking at her dead husband's chest wishing he would wake up and help her figure out what was going on inside of her she settled for wrapping his arm around her and curling under the coolness of his skin.

Not being in control of her own emotions was the one thing Sookie couldn't handle and she hated the thought of worrying everyone around her when it could be something as simple as her hormones which did seem to be running on high the last couple of days, she thought about Arlene and how crazy she acted during her pregnancies with Lisa and Colby and couldn't help but giggle. There was no way of telling if her body was playing tricks on her or if the spell had really worked and if she was pregnant it wouldn't make things any easier, it was still something she had never experienced before and she worried about how she would be able to separate the normal from the supernatural.

In the last few years Sookie had become accustom to just handling whatever came her way weather it was supernatural or not but she knew somehow this was different this would change her life forever and she would always be a mess terrified that she was messing everything up. Her heart started to race and she could feel the panic set in as she curled further into Eric hoping his closeness would help her calm, Sookie couldn't help but think the worst nothing in her life was easy from her childhood until now she had managed to avoid anything that seemed normal and she didn't see that changing any time soon looking back on the last year she started to wonder if she even knew what normal meant.

Sookie didn't regret the spell or the wonderful day she spent with Eric as a human but she did wish the spell had come with instructions something that could tell her what was supposed to be happening, she hated feeling weak and lately that was all she was feeling utterly vulnerable and weak. As she lay their next to Eric dreading leaving his side for even a moment her mind wandered and she started to think about how different her life would be if she were pregnant, how would she explain the pregnancy and what kind of mother would she be, Sookie could feel her head star to spin and she and she wished for just that second that Eric were human and awake to tell her everything would be alright.

After hours of wishing Eric would wake up and tell her she wasn't nuts Sookie forced herself to climb out of bed and make her way up stairs, she needed a distraction and hoped that once she was away from Eric for a while the anxiety she felt earlier that day wouldn't come back. Nothing Sookie did seemed to help her relax the warm bath only left her with too much time to think and she couldn't imagine trying to focus enough to read a book, she looked around the house for anything to keep her mind from wondering and finally settled on some unneeded spring cleaning to keep her busy.

Sookie was determined to pretend things were normal and it seemed to be working aside from the feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her how wrong she was and no matter how much she tried to push it from her mind it didn't seem to go away. As she pulled out a bucket and the pine oil to do the floors she felt happy remembering the way the house would smell when her gran would do the floors

She scrubbed and washed just about everything that wasn't nailed down and just in time because the girls would be home any minute , Sookie pulled the broom closet door open and started to put away the last of the cleaning supplies when the room started to spin. Her first thought was to scream out for help as she fell to the floor but she knew no one would hear her, her hands shot up covering her ears hoping to stop the ringing when a sharp pain shot through her stomach pushing the air from her lungs. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before but and she knew she needed help, Sookie tried to focus willing herself to stand but each time she pushed off the floor her body seemed to get heavier.

Sookie crawled across the floor slowly pulling herself by her arms terrified of what would happen if she attempted to stand up again when another pain shot through her body leaving her gasping for air in the middle of the kitchen floor, her body was limp and heavy but somehow she managed to reach the phone. After quickly running through her mental rolodex Sookie realized that anyone she tried to call would never make it in time and finally dialed 911 cringing as she pressed each number,

"Help" she gasped as another pain shot through her filling her body with a burning sensation as it went.

"I need help" she cried into the phone ignoring the questions the operator asked, she knew she was in trouble and she feared for her life as she clung to the phone. Her eyes fluttered lightly as she tried to hear the woman on the line

"What is the problem mam" the woman's voice sounded odd as Sookie tried to answer but it was too late all she could see was darkness.

Sookie's could hear the room buzzing around her filled with beeping machines and unfamiliar voices and it was taking everything in her not to jump from the bed, she had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there all she wanted to do was call her Gran to come and get her so she could sleep off the pain in her head. Sookie looked around the room for a phone hoping her gran was home and just as picked up the receiver her hospital door flew open and in walked the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

Eric flashed to her side throwing his arms around her and kissing the top of her head; he could feel her body stiffen under his touch but paid no mind to it his only concern was he being ok. Sookie put her hands against Eric's slowly pushing him away;

"Who are you?" she whispered

Eric's eyes widened "Eric your husband" he bit out his words hoping she was messing with him.

Sookie laughed hysterically at the thought "husband, ha husband, I think I would remember getting married"

"Seriously what are you, and who sent you?"

Eric's heart was breaking he could tell from her expression that this was not a joke at all that she truly had no idea who he was; "I am Eric Northman a vampire and you are my wife Sookie Northman" he tried one last time hoping none of this was real.

A nurse came in just as Sookie was asking him to leave; she was insistent that someone was playing a cruel joke on her and she wanted him to leave and never come back. Eric did what she asked and walked out if the room he couldn't help but look back studying her face for any sign of his Sookie but there was nothing there.

Sookie hated having to lie still while the doctors ran yet another test hoping this one would let them know what caused her to pass out and loose several years of her memory. Once she got ahold of Jason to ask if he knew where gran was he rushed up to the hospital and answered all of her questions, Sookie not only found out that yes she was married to a vampire named Eric but Gran and Tara were dead and she was a mother to Tara's twin. She cried for what seemed like hours while Jason held her and helped her deal;

"How can this be true, how can they be dead, a vampire, how could I have been with a vampire they are cold and dead."

Jason smiled his crooked smile and Sookie looked at him confused as to what part of this situation was funny, she wiped her tear filled eyes and crossed her arms waiting for an answer.

"Ok it's not funny but you kinda just repeated what I told you when you started dating Bill"

Sookie looked at her brother "who's Bill?"

Jason rubbed his face in frustration as he stood and stretched "you don't remember Bill?" Sookie shook her head no "

"Well Bill Compton is a vampire he lives in the old Compton house across the cemetery, Sook what is the last thing you do remember?" Jason watched as she tried to remember how she had gotten to the hospital and instantly regretted asking her the question when she started to cry again.

"Sookie its ok I am sure that whatever's happening is only temporary; and your memory will come back soon." Jason was only trying to comfort her but his words seemed to make her more anxious,

"Temporary what is temporary about Gran and Tara being dead; or that I somehow married a vampire who I'm raising Tara's kids with. How is any of that temporary Jason?" Sookie felt like she was at her limit as far as information went for the day; so she decided to ask Jason to leave before he announced that he was getting a sex change and her head exploded.

Once she was alone Sookie realized how exhausted she felt it had been a long day and she couldn't even remember most of it. Her heart sank as she tried to sort out everything she had been told and she couldn't help but try to find the silver lining behind it all. She told herself that if Gran was dead she was in heaven with the lord that she loved so much and even though Tara was gone she had trusted her enough to leave her daughters with her; not to mention that is she had to be married to a vampire well Eric was no ugly duckling.

Hours had passed since Jason left and Sookie was trying to rest peacefully but the sounds of the machines buzzing and beeping around her were more than she could bear; she wanted to be home in her bed where it was quiet. She could hear the blonde vampire talking to a nurse in the hall, he had been sitting outside of her room for most of the night stopping every nurse and doctor that walked by telling them he was her husband and hoping someone would let him know what was going on.

Eric hadn't tried coming back in the room since Sookie told him to leave but he didn't seem to be leaving any time soon and Sookie was beginning to feel bad for how she treated him. Sookie never pictured herself as being married especially not to a vampire; even if he was worth drooling over.

The whole thing was terrifying to her the hospital, the vampire and the fact that she overheard a doctor telling Eric that he suspected she was pregnant,

"Um Eric" Sookie called, thinking that if he was going to stay until they figured out what was wrong with her the least she could do is invite him in and talk to him.

Eric appeared in the doorway watching her as she straightened herself in anticipation of him entering the room,

"You're beautiful" Eric said forgetting for a moment that she had no memory of their life together.

Sookie blushed awkwardly pulling the blanket up around her chest "uh thank you?" the sound of hesitation in her voice made him want to meet his true death; they had been through so much together and he couldn't handle the thought of her forgetting all of that and living her life without him.

Eric decided to sit in the chair furthest from the bed trying to make her comfortable and avoid being kicked out of the room again. The two of them sat in silence him staring at her and Sookie staring at the blanket that she had tucked tightly around her chest,

"So did I hear the doctor say they think I'm pregnant?" Eric wasn't sure if he should answer

"If you're my husband and a vampire how is that possible?" Eric opened his mouth to answer "oh gosh did I, oh is this, did I have an affair?"

Eric couldn't help but laugh at her expression Sookie was nothing if not loyal "No Sookie no you didn't have an affair, we wanted a baby."

"Do you remember Amelia?"

"Who's Amelia?"

Eric ran his finger through his hair not only would he have to explain who Amelia was he would also need to tell her that Amelia was a witch. Eric ran through the story of Amelia and New Orleans pausing while she cried for the loss of yet another relative and finally he finish by explain in great detail the day the spent together and watching his first sunset in centuries with her.

Sookie was astonished by the life she shared with Eric and she wanted to know more; everything seemed like a fairytale and she was the princess. She rattled on questions faster than he could answer and even though he knew it was wrong he did his best to skip over the near death experiences and feedings; he planned on telling her everything if her memory never came back even if it meant her hating him but for now he just wanted to be near her.


	30. Chapter 30

It was an hour before sunrise and Eric had spent most of the night answering every random question Sookie could think of, he could feel the sun creeping into the sky and though he hated leaving her alone in her condition he knew if he didn't he would never make it home before sunrise.

Eric stood stretching his arms above his head and running his finger through his hair it had been a long night and as much as he hated to leave her the look of sheer exhaustion on her face gave him hope that she would rest for most of the day. He wasn't sure what the proper etiquette was for saying goodnight to the woman you love when she had no memory of your life together; he settled for an awkward hug and a kiss on the cheek rather than pressing for the usual warm embrace and a thorough make out session that always kept him wanting more.

Once Eric was gone Sookie sat staring off into space picturing all the things Eric had told her about her life and their life together. He told her a little about her relationship with a vampire named Bill that worked under him and after explaining a few other supernatural life forms to her he told her about a were named Alcide and a were tiger named Quinn that she dated too. Sookie sat in disbelief for a long moment wondering how she had managed to get tangled up with so many supernatural beings in her life, growing up there was always something different about her but when Eric explained that she was part fairy certain things seemed to make sense even if it was hard to swallow.

She had learned so many things in the passing hours and the thought of going back to her busy life was only adding to the intense exhaustion she was feeling. It was clear sleep wasn't going to come easy but she seemed to relax as she stroked her stomach and remembered sound of Eric's voice as he told her that he had loved her ever since the first night she came into Fangtasia and how he looked deep into her eyes when he told her he knew then that he had to make her his.

Sookie drifted off to sleep with Eric's voice playing like a record in her head she wasn't sure how or why she had fallen in love with him but somehow she could tell that he meant every word when he told her he loved her. It was the most vivid dream she had ever had; Sookie walked slowly through her Grans house admiring every piece of furniture. Some were new and some were just knew to her but still it was clear to her that it was the home she had grown up in and she loved it.

She could feel Eric following close behind, she wasn't afraid to be alone with him like she was when she had first woken up in the hospital and when he took her hand and led her up the stairs of her old family home she could feel the butterflies dancing in her stomach. Everything looked different but somehow the same; there was an entire second floor now and it seemed to be decorated completely for children. She watched the excitement in Eric's face as she talked about Tara's girls Sam and Sara with such pride that it was hard to tell they were not his own and Sookie could feel the tears fill her eyes as he ran his hand across her stomach and talked about his hopes for a child of their own.

Sookie woke up feeling relaxed; she had slept more than half the day away but didn't mind to her that meant Eric would make an appearance that much sooner. A warm shower and a halfway decent hospital dinner tray was all she could do to keep herself from going crazy, it had never bothered her to be alone but somehow not knowing much about who she was had changed that.

The phone rang several times throughout the day, the first time it was her dear friend Arlene calling to check on her and see if she needed anything and to let her know how things at Merlot's were going. Sookie told her she was fine and froze as she tried to remember what Eric told her about her marriage to Sam and how she had ended up with the girls and the bar and she suddenly felt unsure of what she should and shouldn't say. After a long moment of silence she decided it was safer to say nothing but thanked Arlene and promised to call her later instead.

When the phone rang the second time it was Tara's daughter calling to tell her they missed her and ask when she was coming home, Sookie cried when Sara called her mommy and she instantly felt horrible that the girls seemed to love her so much. She hated that she couldn't remember anything about them but she hated more that until Eric had told her she didn't know they existed; thankfully Jason took the phone before the girls could hear her sobbing into the receiver and once she managed to calm herself down he reassured her that everything would be alright and promised he would be up later that day to see her.

Sookie hung up the phone hoping that no one else would call and found herself wishing that Eric were there so she wouldn't feel so lonely. She told herself she wasn't going to answer if the phone rang again, she couldn't stand the thought of talking to another person who knew and cared for her enough to call when she had no clue what to say to them. When the phone rang again she stomped her foot and turned away from the phone as if that would make it stop ringing but by the third ring she scolded herself; she was being rude if someone cared enough to call the least she could do was answer.

"Sookie its Pam"

"Hello Pam" Sookie hesitated remembering what Eric told her about his progeny and the relationship she and Pam shared, from what she gathered Pam was a no nonsense kind of woman who didn't interact well with many people but she was a good person to have in your corner when shit hit the fan plus she was a friend.

"Eric has some business to take care of so I'm calling to see if you need anything" Pam talked slowly sounding out each syllable as if Sookie was brain damaged.

"Anything special you need?" she repeated

"Is that it?"

She wasn't sure what Pam expected her to say "Umm some pajamas and maybe a pair of slippers"

"I will pack you a bag" Pam said seeming aggravated by Sookie's lack of response

"Thank you Pam" Sookie muttered before hanging up.

Time seemed to be going slower than ever as Sookie sat alone in her hospital room; she was excited by the thought of Eric coming to see her; she wasn't sure why she wanted to be near him so badly and after second guessing herself she remembered that she had to have shared some kind of life with the sexy blonde vampire how else could she explain being pregnant with his child.

Boredom getting the best of her Sookie she couldn't remember a time in her life when she had ever been sick let alone in the hospital but now that she was it drove her crazy. A Time magazine she found while strolling through the halls was all she had to keep her mind from wandering but even that seemed to cause more confusion than it was worth.

"2012" she read the date aloud; it wasn't until just then that she realized exactly how much time had passed. Sookie closed her eyes and searched her mind trying to remember anything about the life Eric had described; she flashed from memory to memory even trying play out scenes as if it were a movie but each time she ended up in her Grans kitchen having breakfast before heading to work at Merlots.

Sookie was so lost inside of her own mind she didn't hear the doctor as he walked into the room,

"Mrs. Northman"

Sookie jumped as her eyes flew open "umm it's Mrs. Stackhouse" she said trying to put on her most pleasant smile.

"Oh I apologize the chart says Northman, Mrs. Stackhouse then; we have gotten your test results back and everything appears to be normal. You and your babies will be fine and as long as everything goes well tonight I can release you tomorrow."

Sookie sat stunned as one words played over and over in her head " Ba-Babies?" the words stumbled out of her mouth slowly.

"Yes Mrs. North, sorry Stackhouse babies the sonogram confirmed the pregnancy and you indeed are carrying three viable fetuses"

"Fe-tus-es?"

"Yes fetuses, babies you are carrying three very healthy babies"

Sookie thanked the doctor in what she thought was a calm voice but the look back as he walked out of the room told her otherwise.

"How was this possible" Sookie couldn't seem to think straight not only had she found out half of her family and friends were dead and that she that she was married to a vampire but now she was having not one not two but three babies with that vampire. Tears started to fill her eyes and the knot in her chest was making it hard to breath; in a panic she looked around the room and watched as the walls seemed to be closing in on her. She couldn't think of what to do her mind was telling her to run but her body didn't seem to want to move, terrified and desperate Sookie curled around herself pulling the blankets over her head.

"Sookie?"

"Sookie are you ok" A familiar voice echoed through the room

Pulling the blankets of slowly as she stretched Sookie looked around the room not seeing the person she expected.

"Tara" she grumbled sleepily as she looked around in confusion; she was in her childhood bedroom surrounded by the yellow flowered wallpaper that she and Gran had picked out just for her.

"Tara?" Sookie spoke a little louder as she climbed out of bed and walked toward the door,

"Sookie" Tara's voice come from behind her making her jump as she turned "Tara oh my gosh" Sookie screamed as she threw her arms around her best friend.

"I had the worst nightmare, you would never believe, you were well, oh and I was married to a vampire can you believe it" Sookie's went quiet as she noticed the way Tara was looking at her.

Sookie stepped back slowly dropping her arms to her side "Tara what" her words were cut short as her childhood friend stepped forward placing both of her hand on her stomach; she tried to move but couldn't something was wrong really wrong and when her eyes drifted from Tara's hands to her face she screamed.

Where Tara's eyes were now black holes her face a sunken in mask that covered her bones this was not her friend this was something else and its hands were clutching her stomach which now felt like it was being ripped to shreds. Sookie slumped to the floor screaming in pain Tara's hands still pressing into her flesh and there was nothing she could do but stare up into the black holes and beg for the pain to stop.

"Sookie?" Eric's voice sounded urgent as he rushed into the room scooping Sookie's limp body off of the floor and into his arms; her eyes flew open as her body shook violently she screamed out in pain wrapping her arms around Eric's neck. Sookie didn't speak she wasn't even sure if she could, she opened her eyes looking around the room it was the same dull white hospital room she had been safe in hours before.

"Are you ?"

"It was just a dream" Sookie wasn't sure if she was making a statement or trying to convince herself.

"What dream?"

"I dreamt of" Sookie stopped looking around the room again "it was nothing" she said lifting the front of her gown and looking for any sign of what she had just dreamt.

"It was nothing just a dream"

Eric knew how dangerous Sookie's dreams could be the fact that she didn't want to share what it was that had her so scared only reminded him that the woman who stood before him wasn't his Sookie.

"You were shaking and screaming in your sleep, that doesn't sound like just a dream to me?" he tried to sound loving and supportive but he knew his anger over her memory loss was showing in his demeanor; he wanted her to tell him what was going on how was he going to protect her if she didn't trust him.

"Sookie you can tell me anything" his tone was much kinder

"Well Eric I do have something to tell you" Sookie turned to face him her hand still cupped over the tiny bump that had formed at the bottom of her stomach, neither of them had noticed it before but now it meant something it was there child and Eric's dream come true.

"Its triplets" Sookie tried to look excited but the truth was she was more than terrified she knew being pregnant with a vampire's baby couldn't be an everyday thing and if the wrong person found out she could be putting not only herself but her babies in danger too. She had no idea who to trust with this information and the thought was making her feel sick.


	31. Chapter 31

The night passed much like the one before, Eric stayed the night in the hospital with Sookie talking only this time he was the one with the questions. Eric assumed that once Sookie was well enough to leave she would be coming home with him and the two of them would be preparing for their big move into the Stackhouse Home together as a family, little did he know that wasn't the plan at all.

"What do you mean you want to go home, I will take you home as soon as they say you can leave?"

"Eric I want to back to my house where I'm comfortable"

"Your house, Sookie my house is your house" Eric was trying his best to understand what she was saying.

"No I mean Grans house my house on Humming Bird Lane"

Eric cocked his head to the side and stared at her he wasn't sure where she was going with this but he could tell it wasn't good "Ok so I'll make a call and hire someone to pack us up, and I can have everything moved in tonight."

Sookie shook her head back and forth he wasn't getting it and she didn't know how to tell him any nicer; what she really wanted was to be alone until she knew who she could and couldn't trust and alone meant without him. She realized that what she was saying really didn't seem fair and after all it was just the morning before that she was feeling completely distraught when Eric left for the day. Truth was she couldn't tell if it was his leaving or her fear of what would happen once she was alone that had so terrified but this was the only way to find out.

"Eric I don't know how to say this but I think I need to go home alone" Sookie wanted tried to sound firm in her decision but when her eyes met his the sadness in them was enough to break her heart.

"ALONE" Eric barked at her in disbelief, "no, no, you can't be serious Sookie" Eric stood clenching his fists at his side as he stared down at her arm resting over her stomach in a protective manor and he realized that it couldn't do any good to scream and yell at her in her state.

"Now is not the time to be alone you need me" Eric softened his voice and began pleading with her. "We, You, Sookie I just walked in hear a few hours ago to see you thriving in pain and screaming on the floor are seriously asking me to leave you alone."

"Eric"

"No"

"Eric"

"No damn it, NO" his eyes were black with rage and Sookie wondered for a second if he would lose it and actually hurt her,

"Look Eric I have made up my mind; I am going home alone, not with you, not with anyone."

"Bull shit, I won't allow it I am your husband and those are my babies we are going home together"

Sookie stood silently her eyes locked on his and she could see the pain and anger she was causing him; something inside of her told her to stop to just agree and make his pain go away. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and she had no idea how to make him see things her way. Sookie had never had as much as an argument with a guy before now but somehow she knew just how to hurt him and for no reason at all she did.

"How do I know that?"

Eric's eyes flickered and his fangs snapped out; immediately Sookie wanted reach out and snatch the words out of thin air but her pride wouldn't let her,

"WHAT?"

"I don't know that you're my husband and I damn sure don't know if these are your babies."

The two of them stood face to face neither one willing knowing what to do next and both of them letting their pride stop them from using any common sense,

"You need to leave."

Her finger shot up pointing to the door and she was doing everything she could to keep it from shaking but her whole Body felt like it was on vibrate as if at any moment she would bounce across the floor.

"I am not going with you not now not ever so you should just leave Eric Northman,"

Sookie could see that her words how her words had shot through Eric like a knife but she stood her ground, was she sure she was doing the right thing No, did she have any clue what the right thing was No but she was sure she wanted him to stop looking at her like a wounded animal begging to be put out of its misery.

"Go"

"Sookie"

"Go" she stomped her foot hoping she didn't look like a two year old throwing a tantrum, she refused to give in she had spent her entire life making choices for herself and she wasn't going to change now no matter how many babies she was carrying especially from a strange Vampire who was determined he knew what was best for her.

"Sookie stop"

"No Go"

Eric's eyes softened as he watched her lip quiver "Sookie please I just"

"No" her voice cracked and she turned away from him so he couldn't see her tears trickling from her eyes. She had no idea why she was crying but something felt wrong, He didn't deserve her harsh words and she really didn't want to be mean to Eric he had been so nice to her over the last couple of days and if the stories he told her about them were true then he loved more than she could imagine.

"Sookie I'm sorry I lost my temper, I don't want to upset you but you have to understand this is hard for me"

She turned to face him her tears thoroughly wiped away "hard for you?" she laughed

"In the last two days I have found out that my life the life that I remember is not really my life anymore, I am pregnant with, with triplets for god sake, half of my family is dead, I have no idea who to trust or what will happen tomorrow and this is hard for you."

Sookie moved further away from him turning her attention to the view from her window; there were a lot of boats in the water and she wondered how nice it would be to soak in the sun on one of them and disappear from all of her problems.

Eric stood in shock he never meant to upset her and now that he had nothing he said was going to come across the right way. He knew Sookie and once she dug her heels in the only thing left to do was let her cool down, He stood there in front of her watching as she ranted and raved, he watched her lips move and her hips sway as she paced the floor and he wanted her; he needed her and then he realized he was losing her.

"Damn it Sookie just listen" she spun on her heals to face him

"I know you are scared and I know you are dealing with a lot right now just like I know you will remember everything when you are ready too so if you think you need some time then FINE."

Eric bit out each word as if they were shredding his mouth as he spoke; he exhaled and moved closer taking her hands in his,

"But just so you know I will not stay away, those are my babies and you are my wife!" he looked into her eyes hoping that if he could stay calm she would too.

"When are you going home?"

Sookie stood stunned by his words and trapped in his eyes, there was something familiar there and she couldn't help but wonder if he was her husband how many times she stared into them and gotten lost.

"I umm I'm being released later today"

"Fine then I will have someone pack your stuff up and take it to your house and I will see you later tonight."

Eric didn't wait for her to respond he pulled her close wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed her softer and deeper than he ever had before. Sunrise was in an hour and Eric had to leave but this was no goodbye kiss it was all he could do to keep from throwing her back on the bed and having his way with her. He pulled back grazing his lips along her chin and neck before squeezing her tight one last time and turning to walk out of the room.

Sookie didn't sleep through the day like she had before instead she paced the floor wondering if she had made the right decision telling Eric not to move with her. After all he was right he did find her on the floor in pain when she had that horrible dream about Tara and she hated what she said to him about his not being her husband and the babies not being his.

Sookie couldn't remember getting married and she surely didn't remember having sex; in her mind she was a virgin yet here she was pregnant with triplets and alone. She could feel herself starting to panic what if this was it this was her life now three kids alone with no memory of how she got this way.

Sookie slumped in the chair trying to control her breathing but it was no use she could feel her head start to spin and her body seemed to weigh a ton. Luckily Jason came walking into the room as her eyes started to close she could hear him calling her name as he rushed to her side,

"Help, Sookie what's wrong"

"Can't, breath" she gasped as he pulled her to lean against his chest.

"Shhh just calm down sis its ok" Jason stroked her head as a nurse came running into the room,

"I think she is hyperventilating" he yelled over his shoulder to the tiny nurse who looked confused by what he said. "Do you have a paper bag?" He could feel Sookie's chest loosening as she started to breathe more evenly but still he had no idea what had caused her to panic so badly and the bag would come in handy if it happened again.

"So what was that about?" Jason asked once he was sure she had calmed down and was able to talk.

Sookie looked at her brother; her only living relative and the one thing in her life that hadn't changed or disappeared and she wondered how he had handled everything without breaking.

"I just started thinking about going home and how everything has changed and I , I just don't know and now I'm going to be a mom and triplets is just a lot, I'm just scared is all."

"Triplets, Triplets Sook that's great!"

With everything going so badly between she and Eric Sookie didn't have time to call Jason and tell him the news about the triplets and once did he seemed to burst with excitement Jason rubbed her stomach and babbled in baby talk making her laugh harder than she had since she woke up in the hospital,

"Wow Sook were gonna have a whole mess of babies running around huh."

The two of them laughed as Jason talked about babies and how amazing they are, when the nurse finally came in with her discharge papers she felt more relaxed and was glad she was free to go home. Sookie could feel her body tense as she singed the last of the papers and reached for her bag this was it she was going home alone and she was terrified, thankfully Jason didn't talk much as they drove to the house on Humming Bird Lane and suddenly she found herself hoping that Jason was going to stay for a while at least until Eric showed up. As soon as she realized what she was doing she silently scolded herself what was the point in going home alone if she was going to rely on someone always being there.

Sookie walked into her family home expecting to see the same old house that in her mind she remembered; not only because of the fresh flowers that were strewn throughout the house "thanks Eric" the house it's self was different the kitchen was bigger and the fire place in the living room was new. She couldn't help but feel disappointed deep inside; Sookie hadn't realized until now that she was expecting to walk in and find her gran floating in the kitchen cooking lunch and chatting on the phone. Somehow that would make everything ok but instead she found an empty house filled with things she didn't recognize.


	32. Chapter 32

Sookie walked into her family home expecting to see the same old house that in her mind she remembered; not only because of the fresh flowers that were strewn throughout the house "thanks Eric" the house it's self was different the kitchen was bigger and the fire place in the living room was new. She couldn't help but feel disappointed deep inside; Sookie hadn't realized until now that she was expecting to walk in and find her gran floating in the kitchen cooking lunch and chatting on the phone. Somehow that would make everything ok but instead she found an empty house filled with things she didn't recognize.

Sookie curled up on the sofa her sadness overwhelming her; this was her reality now she would never walk into find her grandmother sitting on the phone chatting or come home to a hot meal prepared just for her again. She lay sobbing into the corner cushion of the couch this wasn't home anymore, this wasn't what she wanted and she couldn't understand how things had gone so terribly wrong.

The afternoon went by quickly and soon it would be dark outside, she remembered Eric saying he would be by tonight and the butterflies in her stomach immediately started to flutter. Sookie thought it was crazy how someone she hardly knew could have such an effect on her but still she hurried into the bathroom to freshen up before he arrived.

A quick shower and several outfit changes thanks to her growing belly and she was ready for her visit with Eric. She was standing at the back window watching the last of the sun leave the sky when the doorbell rang, Sookie didn't remember how the whole vampire thing worked and as she made her way to the door she couldn't help but think that it was still to light outside for him to be there already.

Glancing through the peep hole Sookie could see a tall slender man wearing jeans and a gentleman's hat standing just outside the door,

"Can I help you?" she called from behind the safety of the door,

"Mrs. Northman" the man answered

Sookie pulled the door open assuming that anyone who would call her Northman would have to have been sent by Eric.

"It's Stackhouse but how can I help you"

"Mrs. Stackhouse" the caramel skinned man flashed a friendly smile at her

"I am a friend of your Grandmothers is she here?"

Sookie frowned as she pushed open the old wooden screen door, she had never seen this man before but she knew her Gran would be awfully upset if she was rude to someone she had considered a friend.

"I'm sorry but Gran passed a few years ago" Sookie hated the sound of the words that were coming out of her mouth.

The gentleman looked at her oddly but didn't respond; Sookie couldn't tell if he was confused or upset by what she had just said but either way she would do what her Gran would have expected of her and she invited him in out of the heat for a cold glass of tea.

"Umm, so how did you know my Gran" she called over her shoulder as they walked toward the kitchen,

Sookie watched as the older man took a seat and waited for him to remove his hat, her gran had taught many things she never thought she would use growing up and one of them was that a hat should never be worn inside as a sign of respect. This was something she had always insisted on; Sookie remembered her scolding Jason and his friend on many occasions for it.

So it was very odd to her that he didn't instead he sat stiffly in his chair watching her as she reached for two glasses from the cabinet, Sookie was very conscious of his eyes on her and she was beginning to regret inviting him in.

"Your gran was very kind to my daughter" the man finally answered,

"Oh well that was Gran always helping, I'm sorry what was your name?"

"Tarance"

"Nice to meet you Tarance" Sookie poured a glass of tea for the two of them still feeling him watch her every move.

"What was your daughter's name again, maybe I knew her?" Sookie knew he hadn't told her his daughter's name but at this point she could feel that something was terribly wrong about Tarance and she didn't think he would leave if she asked so she decided to keep up the friendly conversation until she had a plan.

"Yeah your Gran was a great woman" Tarance shifted in his eat tussling with his hat,

"Yes she was I miss her dearly, How did Gran help your daughter?"

"Yeah Adele didn't deserve what happened"

"I'm sorry, what happened?" Sookie was confused by his comment and the fact that Tarance didn't seem to be talking to her anymore,

"She didn't deserve to die because you were a vampire loving whore"

"What?"

"And neither did my daughters"

Sookie flinched under the weight of his words.

"I'm sorry but I think you need to leave Tarance"

"Yeah and my poor granddaughters lost their mother because of you and then you go and move them in with one of those blood suckers,"

Sookie pressed her back against the counter she wasn't sure what to say and the distance between her and the door seemed like miles, Tarance was looking up at her from his chair as he grabbed the brim of his hat and wiggled it back and forth.

"You're a murderer did you know that or have you forgotten that like you forgot me?"

Suddenly Tarance's didn't look like the gentleman who had rang her doorbell, he pulled his hat from his head and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Tarance's eyes were now sunken in and his face seemed to be nothing but gray leathery flesh wrapped around the bones, Sookie gasped as she noticed the gapping whole in his head that seemed to be oozing a thick black rot down his face.

"No, No, No?" Sookie screamed and started to run for the door, she couldn't think of what else to do Tarance was obviously dead and he felt she was to blame for the deaths of not only her Gran but his daughters and somehow she was responsible for his too.

"You're a vampire loving whore and everything dies around you" Tarance lunged at her as he jumped from his chair filling the space between her and the door , he wrapped his bone thin arms around her and squeezed her close to him and Sookie could smell his rotting flesh as it clung to her body.

Sookie fought against his arms screaming out for help as his hands wandered over her belly,

"They'll die too" he cackled pressing his lips to her cheek

Sookie fought harder pushing his hands off of her body but it was too late she could see the rot soaking into her body.

"Stop oh god NO!" she screamed out her arms flailing in front of her as she tried to brush the rot off of herself, Tears flooded Sookie's face and the sound of her own screams seems to be deafening and when she opened her eyes again Tarance had vanished.

Eric was standing in front of her his hands on her shoulders as she shook and screamed as her eyes searched the room for whatever was causing her to be so afraid.

"Sookie it's ok it's me"

"No, No, No" she screamed again,

Eric cradled her in his arms hoping the screaming would stop but his touch seemed to only make things worse so he released her and watched as she scurried away from him curling up in the far corner of the kitchen.

"Sookie what happened"

"No, no don't"

"Sookie its ok, it's ok"

She couldn't make sense what just happened, what had she done, was she really responsible for everyone's death and what part did the vampire standing in front of her play in all of this?

"Don't touch me"

"I won't" Eric waved his hands in the air hoping her talking and not screaming was a good sign,

"Just don't touch me" she scooted up the wall slowly

"Sookie I'm not touching you"

"How did my Gran die Eric?"

"What?"

"And who is Tarance?"

"And, and what do Tara's daughter have to do with him?

"And why am I seeing ghost?"

Sookie was calming down but not without purpose, she wanted answers and not the fairytale Eric had given her in the hospital she wanted to know the truth.

"Seems like you left out a lot when you were filling me in on my wonderful life with you huh Eric, guess you forgot to tell me about the trail of death that I leave behind"

Sookie grabbed the two glasses from the table dumping the tea in the sink and tossing them in the trash before dragging the chair he had been sitting in onto the back porch, she didn't want anything he had touched anywhere near her.

Eric watched as she stripped her clothes and tossed them in the trash with the glasses, he waited patiently while scrubbed her face and threw on a robe at this point he wasn't sure if she wanted him to answer her questions or if she was just venting.

"Who is Tarance and why is he popping up at my house and telling me I am a vampire loving whore and that I am the reason the people I love are dead?"

Her voice broke as she repeated the words aloud and let the tears flow down her face,

"Sookie Tarance is Tara's father and he is dead"

"I figured that by the bullet hole in his head" Sookie plopped down in a the chair furthest from where Tarance had been sitting.

Eric was hoping he wouldn't have to watch her relive all the bad thing she had been through, he hoped she would be ok just knowing the good things until her memory returned but now he had no choice she was in danger and he had to fill her in on everything or else she would never let him help her.

She sat staring at him waiting for an answer and when he finally started to talk it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room, Eric started by telling her about Rene and how her Gran died and he continued filling her in on everything he had left out at the hospital including the spell Amelia had cast and the odd feeling she was having just before she lost her memory.

Sookie sat quietly she didn't ask any questions or interrupt him there was no need she wanted to know everything and by the time he finished she did and it made her feel exhausted. Eric waited for her reaction but there was nothing, no response she didn't flinch or gasp she didn't even look away from him.

"Get out of my house Eric and don't come back"

His jaw dropped he could have understood if she blamed him or even screamed at him but the fact that she would rather face everything alone and kick him out of her life was far from what he expected.

"Go and stay gone"

"Sookie please" Eric reached for her

"Don't touch me" she shoved him away

"Stop please" Eric moved closer hoping somehow he could talk her out of this,

"I swear if you touch me I will stake you" Sookie backed up grabbing a wooden spoon from the counter and aimed it at him showing him how serious she was.

"Sookie your in danger I can't leave, I won't"

She pushed past him "get the hell out" she yelled over her shoulder as she ran into the bedroom, Eric followed behind only to have the door slammed in his face. Sookie knew if he really wanted to he could break it down but it was all she could do to put some distance between them.

This was it for her she was turning over a new leaf she told herself, thanks to the vampires in her life not only did she almost get killed way more times than she would have liked but her being with a vampire played a part in the death of almost everyone she loved. From now on she would have as little to do with the supernatural as possible, after a minute she looked down at her stomach where her hands were resting and for a split second she felt guilty for what she was doing to Eric.

If these were his babies and that was her life she must have loved him enough to look past all the bad stuff and find something that was worth loving,

"Sookie, I need you to think about this please I love you, I can't leave" Eric talked through the door hoping that if she would think clearly for a second she would see things his way.

"Sookie"

The sound of his voice only brought out the fear in her, Sookie wrapped her hands around her belly cradling her three babies deep inside and she quickly pushed the guilt away.

"Just get out and leave me alone"

Sookie fell to the floor curling up in a ball she didn't know what she was going to do, she hated the thought of being alone and having Tarance or who knows who else show up again. She hated that she had been so blind but most of all she hated that she felt guilty for sending Eric away.

Eric didn't leave instead until sunrise he spent the night sitting outside of her bedroom door, he didn't push her to open the door instead he listened as she cried herself to sleep. He couldn't imagine what she was going through he had seen her fall apart the each time something bad had happened but this was different this was like everything bad was happening at once and he knew Sookie would never be able to handle it alone.


	33. Chapter 33

Eric didn't leave instead he spent the night sitting outside of her bedroom door, he didn't push her to open it instead he listened as she cried herself to sleep. He couldn't imagine what she was going through he had watched her fall apart the each time something bad happened but this was different this was like everything bad was happening at once and he knew Sookie would never be able to handle it alone.

The next morning Sookie woke up in her bed her blankets tucked firmly around her and a not eon the pillow next to her,

I am sorry for everything and I hope you can find it your heart to forgive me again and I know you want me to stay away but I need you to understand that you are in danger and I can't do that. After you read this letter I need you to call Amelia her number is next to the phone and I filled her in on what happened yesterday I will call later.

All my Love

E

Sookie sucked her teeth and crumbled the letter before tossing it in the trash, she was done with vampires and especially done with Eric. She climbed out of bed rubbing her growing stomach as she made her way to the shower. It didn't take long for her to get back into her old routine once she had showered and straightened up she was headed for the library to check out some books on pregnancy.

She wasn't sure if they had books on human vampire half breed babies conceived with a magical spell but reading was one of her favorite pass times. Sookie couldn't help but think about all of the information she had taken in in the last twenty four hours it was unbelievable to her that in the last couple of years she had been married twice was a mother to Tara's girls and pregnant with triplets and now owned Merlots.

It was crazy how much things had changed; it was so overwhelming to her and for a split second she thought it might be easier if she did just let Eric help until she figured out what she was doing. That thought lasted for about two seconds until the memory of Tarance's arms curling around her came flooding back, she remembered all of the damage her life with vampires had caused and her anger toward Eric was strong again.

"No, you don't need him" Sookie scolded herself as she climbed out of the car and walked toward the library. Inside was warm and familiar and she couldn't help but inhale the smell of old books and pencil lead, the library was a familiar place for her she had spent most of her childhood hiding the rafters reading random books and hiding from her telepathy.

Sookie wasn't looking through the baby section but a minute when she noticed a hooded woman stumbling toward her; the woman's face was familiar but not all at once and she seemed to be heading straight for her. She didn't want to freak out take off running and screaming from the building looking like a mad woman but she felt the need to flee.

Excuse me the woman's voice filled Sookie's ears as she turned to walk away, she wasn't raised to be rude but if she could have she would have ignored the stranger and kept walking right out the door. Something inside of her made her stop and when she turned to face the voice and immediately regretted it. The woman's eyes were red like fire and she was standing so close to Sookie she couldn't seem to breath without touching her,

"can I help you" she managed without stuttering.

"No" the woman looked down at Sookie's stomach and smiled. They stood staring at each other for what seemed like forever and then it happened the woman's hand drifted down resting on Sookie's stomach and with no words she could feel an ache deep inside that told her to run.

"Get off of me" her words came out in little more than a whisper.

It was no use she couldn't do anything, she couldn't move or scream she was stuck their in that spot watching as the woman smiled eerily. The stranger hand rested on Sookie's as her face changed into something awful; her eyes began to blacken and rot oozed from her pores she was dead it was another ghost and it had it's grip on her and her babies.

She could feel something happening deep inside something dangerous and unnatural but she was powerless to stop it,

"Sookie" a voice broke the silence and the rotting woman vanished.

"Thank God"

It was Arlene and she had never been more grateful to see her old friend,

"Sookie are you ok, you don't look so good."

She didn't answer instead she wrapped her arms around the Arlene's shoulders and started to cry, she didn't know how much she could share with her friend. Would Arlene think she was crazy if she told her that ghosts were following her around and trying to do something to her babies 'of course' she thought squeezing her friend tighter.

Surely she would be arrested and declared insane if she ran around telling that story, Arlene smiled at her trying to hide her concern but it was clear she was worried about her friend.

"pregnancy hormones" Sookie had no clue what that really meant aside from the dead people her pregnancy had been great not even a sniffle but she had heard Arlene use that term many time during her pregnancies when she would have a melt down and figured she would understand.

"Oh sweet heart how are the little ones" Sookie jumped when Arlene's hand touched her stomach.

"they're good, the doctor says they are growing fast" she tried not sound like she had just seen a ghost,

"Jason told me it was triplets , I have some of boy clothes if you need them, better yet I'll throw you a shower, oh it will be great and we can have it in the evening so Eric can come."

Arlene paused realizing what she had just said "I'm sorry Sookie, me and my big mouth."

Sookie just smiled at her she had no clue what to say all she could focus on was Eric's name and how just the sound of it made her feel safe and she hated it.

"Sounds great" she hugged her friend "I have to go but call me," she yelled over her shoulder as Arlene waved goodbye

She hated being rude but she couldn't focus the images of dead people popping in and put of her head and a sudden need to be near Eric was driving her insane.

Sookie headed to her car her eyes scanning her surrounding and checking the back seat before she climbed in; she couldn't handle anymore surprises not today; all she wanted was to go home and hide under the covers until whatever this was passed and her babies were safe.

Half way down Humming Bird Lane her phone started to ring; it was still afternoon so she was shocked to see it was Eric calling.

" if this bad news I don't want to know" she snapped into the phone,

"Sookie?"

"yes"

"is everything ok, are the babies ok"

she couldn't help but pause, the truth was she didn't know their had to be a reason she was suddenly seeing things and she didn't think they wanted to rub her stomach because it was cute.

"Sookie" his voice made her jump

"yes everything is fine why?" she lied but she had no choice if he knew the truth he would have insisted on coming over to the house and she couldn't bear to look at him not tonight not after everything he told her.

"I had a dream or a nightmare"

Sookie snickered "vampires don't dream"

"it was strange they were scared and crying for me but I couldn't help them, they wanted me help them."

Eric sounded frantic as he mumbled more to himself than to Sookie,

"who wanted you to help them."

He took a deep unnecessary breath and blew it out before answering "our babies they were crying for me someone was trying to hurt them."

Guilt washed over Sookie right away she had to tell him what happened in the library it wasn't what she wanted to do but somehow her children already ratted her out. They were frightened and they felt whatever it was that the hooded woman was doing when she put her hand oh Sookie's stomach.

"Eric I saw another one, she came up to me in the library it was odd she put her hand on my stomach and everything felt wrong,"

Sookie told him everything repeating in twice just to be sure.

"I don't know what is going on, how is it possible for you to dream about our babies"

"did you call Amelia?"

"Eric I don't know her I don't feel right just telling people about this; someone is going to have me locked away."

Sookie laughed as she listened to the words that were coming out of her mouth "I'm crazy, that's it isn't it I'm bat shit crazy."

He knew she wasn't expecting him to reply it was her way of coping and it made him feel good to know she was trying to understand what was going on; it reminded him of the old her and it gave him hope that her memory was slowly coming back.

"Call Amelia, I will see you as soon I can" Eric hung up quickly not wanting to give her the chance to tell him no.

Sookie sat in her kitchen that afternoon staring at Amelia's number, she had no idea who this woman for all she knew this whole thing was a lie she wasn't pregnant by a vampire, she wasn't seeing dead people and she wasn't the cause of so many deaths maybe this was all a dream.

She tried to block out everything that was happening but it was no use she could feel the tension through out her body and she was drained. This was not the life she wanted, she wanted out of Bon Temps and she surely didn't want to be dealing with Vampires Ghost and now Witches.

Sookie was imagining how great her life would have been if she hadn't met a vampire like she had so many times. Sookie had hated her life since Eric told her about all the bad things that happened since vampires entered her life when a tiny flutter under the hand that was resting on her stomach stole her attention.

Her heart started to brake what if they were like her, what if they knew what she was thinking. Did her babies know the awful things she had been thinking since she found out about them; she couldn't stand the thought of it no wonder they found a way to talk to Eric she wasn't protecting them. Sookie sat quietly staring at her growing belly rubbing tiny circles over where she thought the babies would be and without hesitation she reached for her phone and dialed Amelia's number.

The conversation was anything but short and sweat; an hour later Sookie hung up the phone more terrified than ever. Amelia asked her to describe Tarance's visit in detail and then the woman in the library which Sookie could only assume was Tara's sister and when Sookie spoke about both of them laying their hands over her stomach Amelia gasped.

"Sookie you shouldn't be alone you need to have someone with you at all times, do you know any witches near by?"

"Witches?" she wondered how much Eric had actually filled Amelia in;

"I barely know my own husband and you expect me to know a Witch."

Amelia laughed at her reply before she realized she was serious,

"The protection spell I put on you will keep you safe but it's not you I am worried about."

"The babies are not protected and I'm no even sure they can be"

A lump formed in Sookie's throat how could she protect her babies from a ghost.

Images are the rotting corpses bounced around in her head and for a second she could feel Tarance's boney arms coiling around her and she started to sob uncontrollably into the phone.

"Could things get any worse" she yelled out in anger

"you really did loose your memory huh?" Amelia knew it was the

wrong thing to say but it was shocking to her that Sookie the only person she knew that had survived so much was falling apart like this.

"yeah I did , you got any tricks to help with that?"

Amelia made a strange noise into the phone "I might, call Lafayette he is the closest thing to a witch that you would know I'm on my way."


	34. Chapter 34

Amelia made a strange noise into the phone "I might, call Lafayette he is the closest thing to a witch that you would know I'm on my way."

Sookie didn't waste any time the tone in Amelia's voice was warning enough for her, she dialed Lafayette's number from memory.

"You got La La" she couldn't help but smile his voice was so comforting and familiar,

"just wondering if you could come over for a little while?"

She got straight to the point, she had already been alone for most of the day and it would be hours before Eric could get there.

"Is everything ok, are the babies ok?"

"yeah we're fine I just don't wanna be alone right now"

Sookie didn't want to go over the whole thing on the phone it sounded crazy to her so she could imagine what it would sound like to Lafayette.

"Sure Sook I'll be right over"

She felt relieved knowing that someone would be with her; she hadn't put much thought into what had been going the last two days but one thing she had noticed was that she approached both times when she was alone.

Sookie sat nervously staring at her stomach and thinking for the first time about the babies that were growing inside of her. Would they be boys or girls a and what would she name then, Sookie smiled "this is what pregnant woman were are supposed to worry about, not ghost that are trying to hurt their babies."

She chuckled at the strange words she was whispering to her stomach, she was supposed to be signing lullaby's and professing her love of the miracle that was happening inside of her. Yet she was terrified and haunted by her past "mommy will protect you" she caressed her belly knowing that she meant it.

Sookie felt more relaxed in that second than she had since she woke up in the hospital but it wouldn't last long.

The floor creaked behind her making her jump to her feet "Lafayette" she yelled hoping she just hadn't heard him come in.

She turned quickly to find nothing the room was empty;

"Jesus Sookie give yourself a heart attack."

She tried to talk herself down but something inside was telling her to stay alert; like a siren going off in her gut 'your not alone, it's not safe.'

Sookie moved toward the kitchen door keeping her back pressed firmly against the wall as she reached for the handle.

"uh uh" A voice whispered from across the room,

"they know I'm here don't they?"

Sookie froze her heart was pounding in her ears and she could feel the fear pulsing in her stomach, they did know she was there, they were afraid and she had to protect them.

Her hand pressed tightly over her stomach like a shield between them and what ever was trying to harm them she backed away from the door.

"I know it's you Tara" laughter filled the air around her

"what do you want?"

Sookie tried to sound strong but the fear pounding inside of her was making her body vibrate, she jumped at the sound of her phone ringing pressing her body further against the wall. She was almost positive it was Eric but it was to late to check when the phone flew across the room smashing into the wall beside her before falling to pieces on the floor.

"Where are you Tara" she wanted to see her to know where she was; there was no way to fight off something you couldn't see. Sookie knew this was a game to her once friend; she wanted her to be scared before she showed herself.

"Tara why are you doing this?"

A high pitched scream shook the house and one thing was clear Tara was strong even in death, keeping her eyes moving in all directions Sookie moved further into the kitchen she knew she couldn't kill a ghost but she felt like she needed a weapon anything to help her defend herself.

Sookie reached into the dish rack pulling out a knife and immediately dropping it; the handle felt like it was made of flames burning holes into the palm of her hand. She cried out pressing her bloody hand against her chest,

"Tara I'm your friend why are you doing this to me?"

Her pleas only angered Tara more; the room started to fill with a cloud of thick grey fog and suddenly Tara was standing a few feet in front of her.

"Tara oh god I'm so sorry" Sookie sobbed when she saw her mangled body covered in rot that seemed to ooze from her pores.

Tara didn't bother to disguise herself as anything close to human like the others; she wanted Sookie to see the horrible thing she had become.

"Your sorry" Tara laughed causing thick black slime to pour from the gaping hole in her throat,

"what do you have to be sorry for, living my life or maybe your sorry for raising my girls with that monster you married."

"I would never"

"never what, never let him hurt them, you don't care about them."

Tara moved closer shoving the kitchen table from between them,

'YOU DON'Y CARE ABOUT ANYONE, EVERYTHING AROUND YOU DIES."

Her voice boomed in Sookie's ears "that's not true" she cried out as her hand cradled her stomach, "I cared about you I care about your girls I care, I'm trying to fix this."

"It's to late" Tara moved closer

"what do you want with my babies?" Sookie knew Lafayette was on his way and she needed to stall just long enough for him to get there.

Tara smiled "you and your babies are our way back, I want my life back, my girls, my family, my friends I want it all back."

"No" Sookie screamed as Tara lunged for her barely missing her as she ducked under the kitchen table crawling quickly into the living room. She could hear Tara laughing behind her as she ran toward the front door, her hand gripped the knob and turned it half way before she was pulled back and thrown onto the couch.

Sookie gasped her hands immediately covering her stomach she looked around frantically searching for a way out but it was no use there was none; she was stuck and once again she was powerless.

"Tara please" her words were cut short as Tara hands wrapped around her throat, Sookie turned away squeezing her eyes shut not wanting to see what was going to happen next.

"Tara stop" Lafayette screamed throwing himself between Sookie and Tara.

"Lafayette are you ok" Sookie yelled as his body collapsed onto the sofa next to her, looking around the room their were no signs of Tara but something was clearly wrong with Lafayette. His body was limp and his face seemed to have lost all of it's color,

"Lafayette" Sookie fanned his face with her hands not sure of what else to do.

"Lafayette" she knelt beside him caressing his hand, Lafayette's head jerked his eyes locking on her and his hand clutching hers.

"Oh Lafayette thank god," she exhaled wrapping her arms around him but he didn't move just sat quietly clutching her hand. Sookie thought she would feel relieved once he had gotten there but relief was the last thing she was feeling; her stomach pulsed with fear and that alarm she could feel warning her earlier was sounding louder than ever.

Sookie knew something was wrong she stood slowly trying to pull her hand free from Lafayette' s but his grip only tightened.

"I'm gonna get you a glass of water" she patted his hand hoping if she drew attention to his hold on her he would release but the more she pulled away the more he seemed to squeeze.

"Lafayette your hurting me" she jerked her hand harder still not able to break free. As she struggled a smile spread across Lafayette's face; his eyes were dark and empty like something she had only seen in a horror movie.

"Tara?"

"I told you Sookie you're my way back, I'm not going anywhere"

Lafayette stood twisting Sookie arm awkwardly causing her to fall to her knees. She screamed out in agony trying to adjust her body to the piercing pain;

"Eric will be here soon" her words were breathy and worn.

"I'm counting on that" Lafayette laughed jerking her to her feet and dragging her toward the kitchen; "I'm counting on him to bring your little witch friend too."

Sookie was confused and the pain in her arm was keeping her from focusing. "Why do you need them just kill me already"

Lafayette tossed her into a kitchen chair and broke out in laughter.

"Kill you, you stupid bitch I don't want to kill you" Lafayette turned away from her searching the kitchen for something to tie her up with and Sookie saw her chance. She leaned slowly using her foot to pull the knife she had dropped earlier toward her, she knew she only had one chance at this and she had to make it count.

Once the knife was close enough Sookie had to move quickly; without hesitation she reached for the knife with her good arm and jumped from her seat. Lunging at her possessed friend she was aiming for his spine but suddenly her body from the knife just centimeters from her target she was frozen in place.

Lafayette turned his eyes burning with rage "what's the matter Sook?"

Sookie fought against whatever force that was stopping her but it was useless she couldn't move, she couldn't fight it was clear that Tara had her right where she wanted her.

"Like I said bitch I don't want to kill you but if you keep testing me I will hurt you" instantly the knife in Sookie's hand was on fire again; her skin melting under it she couldn't drop it.

Frozen in pain Sookie refused to scream it was what Tara wanted she wanted her to be hurt and scared. After what seemed like forever her hand opened up releasing the knife as she collapsed to the floor,

"now cut the shit and sit down, I don't want to much damage to my new body." Lafayette smiled and batted his eyelashes.

"Your body?" Sookie understood now what Tara was planning on doing she was trying to permanently take over Sookie's body so she could have her life back.

"There's a protection spell" Tara's smile stopped her in her tracks.

"A spell that your little witch friend will have to remove before she can do anything to protect your babies"

Sookie's heart sank; she had fallen right into Tara's plan "what are you going to do about Eric and Amelia?"

"You mean Tarance and Dahlia they'll be fine' dad has always been fascinated by vampires and being one as powerful as Eric will be fun for him."

"And what will happen to Lafayette" Sookie couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face,

"oh he stays he's family."

"my babies?" Sookie pressed her hand against her stomach

"well if they survive which Dahlia says is unlikely then I guess I'll raise them."

Sookie felt sick as she realized how wrong she was about what was going on, it was never about the babies Tara hadn't even planned on them living. She used Sookie's pregnancy as a distraction from what was really going on,

"how do you know this is even going to work?"

Tara moved closer now only inches from Sookie's face,

"Well that's simple I just needed to get all three of you in one place at the same time and since everyone around you seems to feel some sick need to protect poor little Sookie I used it to my advantage."

"I wont let you do this Tara I'll kill myself before I let you hurt anyone else."

Tara's laughter filled the room sending chills down her spine " you think you're the only one with magic on your side. See Sook my dear long lost sister Dahlia liked to play with a little black magic before you killed her and when she told me about this little spell she knew of I just couldn't help myself."

"Oh and as far killing yourself as funny as it would be to see you try I have to tell you that little protection spell Amelia put on you is nothing compared to the one Dahlia conjured up, See no one can hurt you not even you.

Sookie sat quietly while Tara paced the floor both of them waiting for the sun to go down, she knew Eric would be there soon and that he would fight for her and their babies but she couldn't help but wonder who would get hurt in the process.


End file.
